In the spring of 1821, Laurence Nihill actively sought a partner for his Castlebar distillery. He offered an 'active role' in the business in return for a payment of between £1,000 and £1,500. The enterprise was located in what is now the car park between Main Street and Mill Lane.
Nihill published his proposal in Saunders' Newsletter on St Patrick's Day 1821. The distillery was described as a small-scale enterprise. Prospective investors were informed that a considerable sum of money had been expended in refurbishment, and the distillery could 'immediately' recommence operations at a 'trifling expense.' Nihill had run out of money and needed an investor to operationalise the facility. He emphasised the abundance of grain and fuel nearby. He promised that his significant experience in distilling would be applied to making the venture profitable. The partner would be permitted to nominate a book and cash keeper. Without a partner, the business would be sold.
In 1790, Laurence Nihill became a partner in his brother Christopher's distillery on Liffey Street, Dublin. To coincide with the announcement, the brothers advertised whiskey, rum, brandy, gin, and other spirits, which they assured the public would be 'found equal' to any foreign spirits. Two decades later, in 1810, Laurence Nihill put his name to a petition of Dublin-based distillers. The group wanted the High Sheriff of the City of Dublin to call a meeting to consider the propriety of petitioning Parliament against a restriction on the use of grain in Irish distilleries. In 1814, Nihill lived on Abbey Street. He operated a distillery nearby at 20 Great Strand Street for several years. By 1815 however, it was in financial difficulty.
On 10 July 1815, W. Bennett, auctioneer of The Royal Exchange, conducted an auction at the distillery. The sale included 350 barrels of ground barley, 430 empty puncheons, copper stills, and other items connected with distilling. Nihill had been declared bankrupt. The assignee in bankruptcy ordered the sale to raise cash to pay creditors.
In 1818, Nihill was trading out of the 'Cheap Spirit Warehouse' at No. 9 Bolton Street. He thanked the public for their support for his new distillery and announced that he was selling whiskey distilled at Strand Street nearly four years earlier. Another advertisement offered his 'Superior Malt Whiskey'.
In 1821, Abraham Walker invested £1,000 in the Castlebar distillery. By 1822, the distillery had recommenced operations. The Walker and Nihill distillery is listed in Pigot's Directory of 1824. The venture was, however, an unmitigated disaster. Walker had lost substantial sums of money in various failed ventures. A rare success with a wine and coal business enabled him to invest in Nihill's Castlebar distillery. In February 1825, Walker came before the Insolvent Debtors Court with substantial debts. His creditors included Lord Lucan.
Walker had taken a lease of the Ballynew Mills but never paid the rent. He was accused of taking away part of the mill and concealing assets from creditors. It was noted that the distillery investment amounted to 'ruinous speculation' on Walker's part. There was little demand for spirits due to illicit distillation. Walker contended that Nihill induced him to contract a bond for £800 before Nihill withdrew from the business.
Walker was left with the bond obligation and other debts. The bond was enforced against Walker, and his furniture was sold for the benefit of creditors. In June 1825, a meeting was held at the Tailor's Hall in Dublin to hear petitions regarding a list of insolvent debtors that included Laurence Nihill 'late of Castlebar'.
In the early decades of the nineteenth century, commercial distilling was a precarious pursuit. Apart from taxation and regulation and the later Father Mathew Temperance Movement, there was also illicit distilling. Between 1814 and 1823, there were 413 convictions in Mayo for illicit distilling.
The distillery is long gone but is shown on the 1838 Ordnance Survey Map and the Griffiths Valuation Map (See Google image ). This suggests it had a life after the demise of the Nihill-Walker partnership. There is also anecdotal evidence that bottles bearing the Nihill name were found in Castlebar.
For the area's archaeology, see Richard Crumlish' 2007:1226, Shamble Street/Market Street, Castlebar, Mayo at https://excavations.ie/report/2007/Mayo/0018203/.
