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Mint
31-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
The tale of an Irish whiskey that paints the town red
'How does one address an Earl?" was the thought swirling through my head as I waited to meet Richard de la Poer Beresford, the Earl of Tyrone and heir to the title of Marquess of Waterford. It turns out I needn't have worried too much about it as the 37-year-old Earl introduces himself as Richard when he walks into Pickwick's at Delhi's Claridge's Hotel with a duffel bag bulging with Irish whiskey and just as many stories about his family. The family's estate is Curraghmore in southwestern Ireland, which is known for producing some of the world's highest-quality malted barley that makes Irish whiskey unique. The estate was part of the land grant made to his ancestor Sir Roger le Puher by Henry II in 1167. It is the oldest family home in Ireland and the largest privately owned property in Ireland running to over 3,500 acres. Since Richard's father, Henry Waterford, the current and 9th Marquess of Waterford, inherited the estate in 2015, several Irish whiskey entrepreneurs had approached the family with requests to build a distillery on site. Richard had always been a whisky enthusiast and collector and the idea, therefore, intrigued the family. Ireland is, after all, whiskey's original home, they grew barley on the estate, and Irish whiskey has been gaining popularity around the world in the past 10 years. In February this year, I visited the Powerscourt Distillery, located within the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry near Dublin, which makes the lovely Fercullen Falls whiskey. The estate's Powerscourt Gardens were ranked by National Geographic in 2010 as the third best gardens in the world, after Versailles in France and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the UK, and draw over 300,000 visitors a year. As I toured the visitors' centre, I understood the strategic nature of the distillery's location, sure to get a fair share of the visitors to the gardens itself. It's this kind of thinking as well as the focus on reviving traditional techniques that has made Irish whiskey a standout on the global scene in the past year. That Ireland is where whiskey was first created is a fact even the Scots will grudgingly admit. Irish monks are believed to have made it first, around the 12th century, and then transferred the knowledge to their Scottish brethren. Irish whiskey has historically used oats which adds a creamy flavour to the spirit. The Irish also opt for triple distillation instead of double as the Scots do, which is believed to lead to a smoother spirit. By the middle of the 19th century, nearly 100 distilleries were registered in Ireland, but the industry fell into decline. Apart from the impact of the World Wars, a big reason for the slump was Prohibition in the US, one of the biggest markets for Irish whiskey in the early 20th century. Irish independence from Britain in 1922 also affected access to the UK market. When I first visited Ireland in 2008, there were just two operational distilleries, the Jameson Distillery at Middleton and Cooley's Distillery in County Louth. When I returned in February this year, I found nearly 50 distilleries producing Irish whiskey. All this, along with the desire to diversify estate operations and increase cash flows, encouraged Richard and his father to start a whisky business on their own in 2016. That same year, they launched Curraghmore Single Estate Irish Whiskey, a limited release pot still whiskey, drawing directly from the estate's history, and creating an 'estate-to-bottle" brand. Their whiskey uses barley and oats grown on the estate, which is malted and then shipped off to Great Northern Distillery to be turned into whiskey. Noel Sweeney, a 2017 Whisky Hall of Fame inductee, is their master distiller and a blender with over 30 years of experience. Richard is keen to explore India as a market for his whiskey after his frequent trips to India over the years to play polo in Jaipur, Mumbai, Jodhpur and Delhi, giving him a lot of influential friends to help his cause. Flora, his wife, has worked as a doctor in Tamil Nadu, so India is familiar territory for both of them. And the size of the market and the promise it holds is a draw too: Irish spirits exports to India were at €15.1 million in 2023, an increase of 105% over the previous year, with most of this being whiskey. Earlier this year, Richard launched his second whiskey, the Mad Marquess—and he has a story to go with it that he assures me is true. Henry de la Poer Beresford, the 3rd Marquess of Waterford, was a second son and never expected to inherit. Therefore, with none of the pressures of a title, he could afford to be a bit of a party animal. One night in 1837, he and his friends were returning home on horseback from a day at the races. While paying the toll, the Marquess spotted some red paint and decided to daub it all over the toll gate, the tollkeeper and his friends as a lark. They continued into the town, lashing paint onto the houses and passersby, 'literally painting the town red," laughs Richard. With a story as good as this tucked away in the family archives, it didn't take much for Richard to give his whiskey the name Mad Marquess, an approachable Irish blended whiskey that one hopes to see in shops and bars in India soon. Vikram Achanta is founder and CEO of Tulleeho, a drinks training and consulting company, and co-founder of 30BestBarsIndia. Also read: Banu Mushtaq's recipe for Gobi Manchurian
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Jill Dando's killer theories from new witness bombshell to 'amateur loner'
It's been 26 years since TV presenter Jill Dando was brutally murdered but we examine the clues since crucial information from a new witness, as part of a Mirror investigation, came forward As one of the most beloved faces on television, the murder of Jill Dando left the nation shocked and appalled, and 26 years on, her killer has yet to be brought to justice. As the star of shows such as Crimewatch and Holiday, warm and likeable Jill was a household name, and it appeared she had a bright future to look forward to. Then, on the morning of April 26, 1999, it was all snatched away. The day began happily enough. Jill had made breakfast in bed for her fiancé, the gynaecologist Alan Farthing, at his Chiswick home before he headed out to work. The couple had been excitedly making plans for their September wedding and had spent the previous evening writing a letter to the Claridge's Hotel, where their reception would have been held. At around 10am, Jill made the journey back to her own home in Fulham, West London, stopping en route to run a few errands. This included purchasing fish for her and Alan's evening meal. Jill's diary also included attending a charity lunch at a luxury Mayfair hotel that day. Sadly, she was never to attend. At 11.32 am, Jill reached her front door at 29 Gowan Avenue, when her seemingly ordinary day descended into a nightmare. Just as she was about to place her key in the lock, an unknown individual shot the newsreader in the head, instantly killing her. She was only 37 years old. As a key witness opens up to the Mirror about what they saw that terrible day, we look at the clues detectives have been puzzling over for more than a quarter of a century. Neighbour Richard Hughes heard a scream shortly after Jill pulled up to her house, but didn't think it was significant at the time. Later, he told the jury that he 'thought it was someone surprising somebody'. Richard, who lived at number 31, did, however, look out of the window and saw a white, dark-haired man between the ages of 30 and 40 walking toward Fulham Palace Road. He remembered the man as average height, with a thick-set build. Just under 15 minutes later, another neighbour, Helen Doble, found Jill's lifeless body slumped in her doorway. Giving evidence at the subsequent trial, as per The Guardian, a traumatised Helen recalled: "To suddenly encounter such a violent scene was completely horrific. It took me a few seconds to realise it was Jill, because of the way she looked." The police were called, sparking the country's biggest murder investigation since the hunt for the murderous Yorkshire Ripper. The finger was quickly pointed at Barry George, who successfully appealed against his wrongful conviction. 26 years on, the Mirror looks at some current theories as to who the true killer actually is... 'Serbian secret services assassin' A man wanted for questioning in Jill's murder bears a striking resemblance to a ruthless Serbian secret services assassin, a Mirror investigation revealed back in April 2024. The unidentified person was caught on CCTV following the gunman's likely escape route after the Crimewatch presenter had been shot dead in 1999. It bore the hallmarks of a professional hit. Facial comparison expert Emi Polito has now found several similarities between 'Man X' in the CCTV and twice-convicted murderer Milorad Ulemek, who is serving 40 years in a Serbian prison. At the time Jill was killed, the 56-year-old led a feared squad of hitmen responsible for targeting opponents of brutal dictator Slobodan Milosevic. When Jill died, the Yugoslav war was raging, and British planes were bombing Serbia as part of a NATO campaign. She had appealed on behalf of Kosovan refugees who were being massacred by Milosevic's forces. Within hours of her death, a call was made claiming the murder was in response to the bombings. The assassin bears a striking resemblance to the 'sweating man' e-fit of a suspect who got on a bus in Fulham, South-West London, minutes after Jill was shot outside her nearby home. Mr Polito, who gives expert evidence for the police, said Man X and the Serb killer have a similar shaped mouth, chin, hairline and right sideburn, while the general shape and sizes of their noses and right ear were the same. His report concluded: 'Within the imagery limitations, no differences were found between Man X and Mr [Ulemek].' However, he could only give limited support to them, being the same person, because of a lack of detail in the blurry still of the CCTV image. He concluded: 'There are a number of similarities between the two men… in particular the appearance of the mouth and of the hairline that add some light weight to the contention that they are the same person.' Mr Polito said it may be possible to make a more definitive finding if better quality CCTV images were obtained. In addition, the expert highlighted a dent on the bridge of Ulemek's nose which is not visible in the CCTV image but is evident in an e-fit created by an eye witness at the time, which was released by the police. Mr Polito has not given the e-fit image. Ulemek's lawyer, Aleksander Kovacevic, said his client did not wish to 'participate' when asked if he murdered Jill. He wrote: 'I inform you that my client has been made aware of this and that he is not interested in participating.' In a Mirror report published just this week, a van driver who saw a man running near the murder scene has told us that he looked like Ulemek. Two days after the killing, this key witness, who does not wish to be named, told police that a man in a dark suit had sprinted in front of his Ford Transit without looking on the Fulham Palace Road, South West London. After looking at the Mirror pictures of the Serbian assassin, he stated: "He does look like the man I saw." The witness, who is now in his 60s, recalled: "Anyone else would have said f*** off or sorry, but he didn't say anything, he just wanted to get away and that's what made me suspicious. It looked like he was running from something. If I had known, I would have got hold of him." This comes after a female witness told us last year that she was certain she had seen Ulemek running along the same stretch of road at approximately the same time. In light of the Mirror's investigation, the lead barrister prosecuting Milosevic has asserted that Ulemek should be investigated over Jill's murder. Sir Geoffrey Nice KC stated: "I would encourage the police to be open minded given there are new pieces of evidence that may not have been considered and it would be helpful if they are considered." 'Amateur loner' For years, the assassin-style single shot in the head has led many to believe that Jill's murder was the work of a professional. However, Detective Chief Inspector Hamish Campbell recently spoke with the Mail Online about his theory that the man responsible had all 'the hallmarks of the loner', rather than someone hired by a criminal gang or corrupt politician. Detective Campbell, who led the inquiry into Jill's death, revealed: "I wrote in my personal notes, in the earliest weeks, that I considered the killing to be the work of the loner or the obsessive. Many months later, I recorded that I still feared the loner or an ill man was responsible. "Twenty-five years later, there's still nothing from the vast criminal networks. No one emerging. So it must have been a loner, or at least someone acting on their own initiative. That I feel sure of." Describing the shooting as amateurish, Detective Campbell added: "The approach in broad daylight, unmasked, ungloved — and walking away? A single bullet, leaving evidence of casing, and, remarkably and importantly, the location. That was always significant. Jill was visiting 29 Gowan Avenue, just by chance; her visit was random. It had not been pre-planned."
Memri
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 13, April 4, 2025
Ahmad Yassin (Image: By Yigal Carmon* 1. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11905, Qatari Journalists And Figures Close To Qatar Lionize Hamas Founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin: He Blazed The Path Of Jihad; The Processions Of Martyrs Will Not Stop Until Palestine Is Liberated, April 1, 2025. 2. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11903, Fatwa By International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Based In And Funded By Qatar, Declares 'Armed Jihad' Against Israel, March 31, 2025. 3. Qatari Defense Minister In Past Tweets: 'We Are All Hamas,' March 28, 2025; Qatari Defence Minister Reportedly Tweeted About 'Israel's Control Of The US' And Said 'We Are All Hamas,' March 28, 2025; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11899, Qatari Defense Minister In Past Tweets: 'We Are All Hamas'; 'We Must Plan How To Influence The Decision-Makers In The U.S.', March 27, 2025. 4. "Qatar is Hamas" – Dozens Gather Outside London Hotel To Protest Qatari Owners: Dozens protested outside the Claridge's Hotel, which is owned by the Qatari royal family. During the protest, "IRON Initiative" President Rabbi Pini Dunner revealed that a Jew working for the royal family had attempted to persuade him not to protest it, Israel National News, March 31, 2025. Protesters Rally Outside Claridge's Hotel Over Qatar's Alleged Terror Links: They accuse Qatar of financing Hamas and condemned Claridge's Hotel ownership during rally led by U.S. rabbi in central London, Jewish News, March 31, 2025. 5. Report by the Turkish state-owned news organization Anadolu Ajansı, which is aligned with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's party: Qatar Faces International Scrutiny Over Human Rights Violations – Labor rights abuses, restrictions on free expression, and others place Qatar under global criticism, with 317 UN human rights recommendations issued ahead of April's Universal Periodic Review, March 31, 2025. 6. Qatar Officials Temporarily Release Overseas Filipino Workers Detained For Pro-Duterte Rally: Qatar had arrested Filipino workers demonstrating in support of former Philippines president Duterte, April 3, 2025. * Yigal Carmon is President and Founder of MEMRI.
