To say that Riannon Walsh is an anomaly…a woman (and a delightful one at that) expert in the cigar-toking male world of single malt whisky…is to say that wood is involved in the process of making single malt whisky. She is globally admired for her non-traditional approach to experiencing single malts, which is a far cry from the old-school ‘kilt and haggis’ style.
For over 20 years Riannon has been integrally involved with several small batch pot still malt whisky producers in both the U.S. and Scotland. She has a background that includes nosing to production, and as President of Cloonaughill Celtic Malts, Inc. and Cloonaughill Distillers Ltd./ Ireland, is the partner leading the design and development of a non-traditional malt distillery in the Republic of Ireland.
Riannon has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and was identified as one of the world’s ‘Women to Watch in Whisky’ by Britain’s Whisky Magazine in 2001. In 2003-4 she helped develop (and was interviewed for) a show on Distilleries that aired as part of The History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” series.
Not convinced she’s Wonder Woman yet? Riannon is also the founder and organizer of the hugely popular Whiskies of the World Expo, North America’s largest consumer whisky event.
We LOVE anomalies, and could not be happier that Riannon is part of our community leadership. We hope you will visit her site, and join her online, here in our community.
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