PARTNER BAR
A taste of the SMWS in Belfast
Nestled in Belfast’s thriving east end, our new partner bar Pure Irish is a home-from-home for Society members. Having soaked up inspiration and knowledge during his time managing our Greville Street Members’ Room in London, Sam MacDonald has set his eyes on creating an equally passionate whisky community in Northern Ireland, as Duncan Gorman writes
ABOVE: Sunrise over Belfast from the Cavehill Mountains
After leaving the Society’s London Members’ Room, former Greville Street manager Sam MacDonald has been on a quest to continue to share his love for single cask whisky back in Ireland. Feeling there was a gap in the market, Sam founded Pure Irish as both an independent bottler and a Belfast bar.
“Since leaving The Scotch Malt Whisky Society five years ago, I have been searching for something in Ireland that compares,” he says. “It has been restless to say the least – the SMWS sets the bar too high to match! In light of this, my business has come full-circle. I figure by bringing the SMWS to Ireland we are lighting a beacon and there’s no better place to do this than Belfast.
“Pure Irish is an independent bottler and we are releasing our first cask following the same principles as the SMWS, including setting up our own version of the Tasting Panel. This is the product of having worked with independent whiskey makers across Ireland and more importantly having worked with the SMWS for so long, which has inspired my way of thinking.
“Pure Irish is a project started by me and my business partner Jonny Corrie. The name was inspired by Ireland’s ancient holy wells, the origins of distillation and our nation’s modern search for independent spirits. As such, we have been maturing our own whiskey in the Sperrin Mountains.
“My mission is to create the best whisky bar in Ireland. I believe in the single cask approach and the desire for exploration is the recipe for this. Our journey is just beginning as an independent bottler, but I feel if we maintain our integrity and learn from the best, we will get there. And have lots of fun in our bar along the way!”
PICTURED: Sam samples an Irish whiskey cask
ABOVE: a Society tasting at Pure Irish, our new Belfast partner bar
Transferring his knowledge of the Society and the wider Scotch whisky landscape to Ireland, Sam’s now committed to using Pure Irish as a vessel to help craft a passionate community, with other like-minded flavour fanatics at its core. “The SMWS was formed in 1983 from tiny seeds, we too hope to instigate something with our own whiskey that will grow into a community,” he says. “It’s about discernment, something the SMWS has in spades. Pure Irish is following in your footsteps.
“I have always been inspired by the co-operative nature of the Scotch whisky business and think we have plenty to learn from it here in Ireland. As much as possible I’ve been attempting to build a community of people and businesses in search of the best spirit. I endeavour to continue building this community and in my experience there is no better way to do this than over a dram of SMWS whisky.”
Pure Irish is in Belfast’s east end, among other thriving restaurants and bars and only a stone’s throw from one of the Ireland’s most historically relevant whiskey sites. “Belfast is Ireland’s second city and traditionally has always identified itself as both Irish and Scots. It is my home place and a natural choice for Ireland’s best whisky bar. We are based in East Belfast in a neighbourhood called Ballyhackamore. It is a strong community area with loads of wonderful independent shops, packed restaurants and bars. A really hip atmosphere. I wouldn’t choose anywhere else to set this bar up.
“We are also only metres away from the site of the old Avoniel distillery, one of Ireland’s most significant producers, which closed down almost 100 years ago. I became friends with Phil Patterson [the proprietor of Hearth Bar] and it was as if all the answers to my long search pointed in this direction.
“We have set up shop in the upstairs of Hearth Bar – we are separate businesses, but mutually beneficial. It’s a wall-to-wall whisky space where I aim to offer something akin to the Society’s Members’ Rooms in Scotland and London. It’s an inclusive club, offering something special to those with a keen interest in whisky and those with a curiosity for new experiences.”
Sam’s also carrying over his open-minded philosophy that he’s used towards his own bottles at home: “My own collection of whisky certainly isn’t as grand as many,” he says.
“I am only interested in sharing. I collect because I am always curious, but my passion is in hosting friends over drinks and enjoying the search for great spirits as a community. I don’t mind if it’s Scotch or Irish, or anywhere else for that matter, as long as there is something special at the heart of it.”