Gabriel O’Loughlin, a maintenance manager at Cooley, works on a pot still. According to Whisky magazine, pot stills are “stills used for batch distillation. In pot still distillation the liquid is distilled usually twice, occasionally three times, first in a wash still and then in a spirit still.” At the Cooley-run Locke’s museum, visitors find a rare example of a small pot still distillery. Locke’s shows the distillery process, from the grinding of the grain to the casking of the final product. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Noel Sweeney walks among fermentation containers at Cooley Distillery. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Liam O’Keeffe adjusts equipment at Locke’s Distillery Museum in Kilbeggan, Ireland. The distillery was established in 1757. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
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John Neilly, a fourth-generation cooper, uses a reed to repair a cask at Locke’s. The cooperage there operates daily, and visitors have the chance to see cask hoops being hammered by hand. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
The warehouse at Cooley’s Distillery in County Louth is filled to the brim with whiskey aging in casks. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Whiskey, one of Ireland’s biggest draws, is neatly lined up by the bottle at Cooley Distillery. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
