Irish Distillers Appoints Derek Cronin as Cooper
Irish Distillers has announced the appointment of Derek Cronin as cooper after successfully completing his four-year apprenticeship under Master Cooper Ger Buckley.
Derek, from Ardmore Co Waterford, is only the second newly qualified cooper at Midleton Distillery in more than 45 years. Prior to joining Irish Distillers, Derek trained as a carpenter and spent seven years living in Australia honing his craft. Upon his return, he worked as a carpenter with PJ Hegarty & Sons in Cork before joining Irish Distillers as a General Operative in 2019. Eager to return to his passion of craftsmanship, Derek commenced his apprenticeship to become a cooper in 2020. His apprenticeship provided him with the opportunity to travel the world, spending time in Scotland, France and Spain working in a number of cooperages broadening his coopering skills and knowledge.
In his new role, Derek, who is registered with the Scottish Cooperage Federation, will be responsible for the repair and maintenance of over 2 million casks on site in Midleton, as well as participating in various coopering and cask related projects in the distillery.
Midleton currently has two working cooperages with one based in the old Midleton distillery and a new cooperage located within the Spirit Store at the main distillery.
Source: Irish Distillers.