Brian Nation
With over 24 years of experience developing some of the worlds most renowned and high-quality Irish whiskeys, Brian Nation knows what it takes to build the perfect liquid. Born and raised in Cork City, Ireland, Brian crossed the pond to join the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company as Master Distiller to spearhead the journey of developing world-class whiskeys by implementing the best of Irish and American whiskey-making traditions.
Brian began his career at Irish Distillers as an Environmental Engineer, Project Engineer, and Process Engineer. He oversaw various projects at Midleton Distillery until 2012, when he was appointed Master Distiller. Brian’s main responsibility involved liquid innovation and maintaining the quality of all new distillates produced for Jameson, Redbreast, Spot Range, Powers, Midleton Very Rare and Method and Madness. Brian Nation is an absolute legend in the world of Irish Whiskey and has collaborated with Master Blender Billy Leighton to select which whiskeys went into each year’s vintage of Midleton Very Rare, recognized as the Pinnacle of Irish Whiskey from 2014 to 2020.
Now, Brian Nation is bringing his years of Irish distilling experience, skills, and family to America to explore new expressions in whiskey. As Master Distiller at O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company, Brian is responsible for distilling new expressions from scratch as well as blending our whiskeys and plays a prominent role in building a brand and distillery from the ground up. His deep experience in Irish whiskey, newfound interest in American whiskey, and passion to create new and innovative products, make him the perfect candidate to join the O’Shaughnessy family.