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IT”S A FAR cry from communion wine, but if serial entrepreneur Dr Pearse Lyons has his way, then St James’s Church in Dublin’s Liberties will soon be home to a distillery.
Lyons’ company, Alltech, is known for its animal feeds, but has lodged plans with An Bord Pleanala to open a working distillery and visitor centre in the ancient church, which was built in 1268. It became a Protestant church in 1539 before collapsing in 1761 and being rebuilt in in 1859.
Daniel O’Connell laid the foundation for the rebuilt church in 1844.
Architects are assessing how to fit a distillery into the church, with preliminary indications that the pot still will be put in the old nave of the building. The distillery would be in good company, overlooking Guinness’ Brewery, where over 7 million hectolitres of beer are brewed each year.
While primarily focused on animal feeds and nutrition, it’s not the first time that Alltech has toyed with alcoholic beverages. It also owns a family of drinks under the Kentucky flag, including an ales, stouts, bourbon and IPA.
The company clocked over$1 billion (€722 million) in sales last year, and has operations in the US, Asiam Europe and South America. Founder Lyons is Irish, and his grandfather was buried in the church graveyard in 1948.
The distillery hopes to capitalise on its position on Failte Ireland’s new ‘Dubline’ tourist trail, which runs from Trinity College to Kilmainham. In addition to the distillery and visitor centre, the church will be home to a museum showing the history of the site.
If approved, it will be the second distillery in the area, with Teelings whiskey also planning a €10 million euro facility in The Liberties.
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When they changed to reduced sugar it was the end….. Lilt has never been the same.
@Shane McGrath: Exactly. I’ve been cutting down on soft drinks because I’m allergic to aspartame. It used to be my only reason for ordering regular instead of diet drinks.
And the other artificial sweeteners aren’t doing any favours to the taste either.
If they had reduced the sugar, and left it at that, I wouldn’t mind, but trying to compensate by using artificial sweeteners is wrong on so many levels.
@Shane McGrath: Blame the sugar tax for ruining lifes small pleasures.
If you don’t have Lilt and Cidona as your Christmas softdrinks are you even Irish????
@Fi Wyse: or Tanora if you’re from Cork
@Sara McS: Tanora and a chicken fillet roll. Gift nyom
Rockshandy rules this isle!… Victory!
@thesaltyurchin: The Mas with the flat 7up might not agree with you…..
@Fi Wyse: or the boiled red lemonade. A legendary cure-all! :)
With the cost of living these days lilt might be the closest we get to the tropics.
More than the product itself, I liked the original advertising campaign. Everytime I drank it, or even now when I just think of it, I think of the West Indies and that ‘totally tropical taste’.
I’m sure Fanta will reconsider their decision on the results of this poll, so get voting everyone!
After a sweaty hot day in the bog bringing home trailers of turf, there’s nothing like going to the fridge and opening and downing a can of lilt……..
Who
The
*
Cares
Don’t drink it, but I’m outraged anyway. Is there a protest arranged or maybe an online petition? Anyone know the number for Joe Duffy?
The Aldi version is very nice!
@Gareth Miskelly: no it’s not it’s mank
Fanta was created by Coca Cola for sale in the Nazi market during WWII. That was the company’s way of getting around federal legislation banning trade with Germany. Germany was the only production base for Fanta until the parent company started global sales. It’s a small world, really..
Yes, it’s totally tropical
Just YUCK
Listing the ingredients for fun :)
Carbonated Water, Fruit Juices from Concentrate 5% (Pineapple, Grapefruit), Sugar, Citric Acid, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Sweeteners (Acesulfame K, Aspartame, Sodium Saccharin), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavourings, Stabilisers (Acacia Gum, Guar Gum, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosins), Colour (Carotenes). Contains a Source of Phenylalanine.
Total Carbohydrates 4.6g
Total Sugars 4.6g
Fair enough, I’ll be trying the Fanta version.
Never liked the stuff but I have a mate that’s addicted to it. He’ll be freaking out
Always dreamed of being “ The Lilt Man “ – not the same on courtown beach though :-(
Shrugs shoulders and walks away…
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