Trinity graduate looks to take on the US market after selling his share in whiskey company

A Blackrock dentist who made millions from the sale of his Dublin distillery has visited the US recently looking for investors to develop his next venture.

Ed O’Flaherty, co-founder and principal dentist at the Seapoint Clinic, spent three years developing the Dublin Whiskey Company before selling out to UK drinks group Quintessential.

The Trinity College graduate explained that he had always had a passion for whiskey and growing up he had always been saddened by all the closed distilleries he came across on his travels. He said: “When I was in a position to do something about it I jumped at the chance.

“Irish Whiskey is the world’s fastest growing spirit and has been for some time. I knew that a malt distillery in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties in a building dating back to 1691 was something exceptional. With the recession the cost of the building was dramatically less than it is today and so it provided a great opportunity to start.”

O’Flaherty explained that they had been working in partnership with Quintessential, initially about UK distribution before that developed into an arrangement where they would be equal partners and jointly develop the distillery.

However, the agreement meant that he would not see any profits for seven years as everything was to be reinvested in the development.

He said: “I decided that having spent three years from the initial purchase I didn’t want to wait another seven to get a profit and so decided to sell.”

O’Flaherty has set up a new company, Bespoke Dublin Whiskey, retaining three brands – Old Dublin, Hibernia Whiskey and Fumbally. He will also have access to a stock of aged Irish whiskey provided by Quintessential.

He explained that he now plans to take on the US market, specifically with Old Dublin. He said: “Over there they have huge appetite for Irish whiskey and are particularly interested about the history we have. One of the exciting things we will be doing is selling casks of whiskey to enthusiasts and investors so they can have a share in the whiskey industry without having to take out a mortgage.”