Its not that often that Diageo asks you to create an altogether new Irish Whiskey distillery experience in an abandoned power station within the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.

Any one of these points individually is special, but combined it represented a once in a lifetime design opportunity.

The large increase in electrical and steam power required by the growth of the Guinness brewery led to the decision in 1944 to build a new central boiler house and power station. The site chosen for the new power house was part of the old Phoenix Brewery north of James’s Street and beside the former George Roe Distillery. The first pile was driven on 1st March 1946.  By 1948 some 337 piles were driven for the boilerhouse and chimney foundations, 700-ton of structural steel erected, 1,000,000 Kingscourt bricks laid and 800,000 cubic feet of reinforced concrete poured. The amount of electrical current generated varied according to the amount and volume of steam required for the brewing processes, increasing and diminishing daily. In 1980 Guinness launched a major ten year re-development plan of the St. James’s Gate brewery but by 1997 the plant was obsolete and subsequently fell into disrepair.  Below are some images mapping the life of the Power Station before the Roe&Co Distillery rebirth.

Tour ideation, interior design and consultation during fit-out all formed part of the Drinksology remit. Extensive design packs were ultimately provided for each of the tour areas alongside detailed technical drawings and renders. Areas included the 'Flavour Workshop' where guests experiment with flavour and build a variety of mixed drinks. Room '106' highlights the 106 blends created in the persuit of whiskey perfection. The 'Powerhouse Bar' is a world class cocktail experience and the communal areas were approached with equal vigour and design expertise. Below are a few details from the design package.

Now enjoy a few examples of the final effect. The fitout was achieved to exacting standards and faithfully followed the design package to the last detail. Input into other aspects of the design was approached with equal commitment with the beautifully illustrated cocktail menu proving another highlight of the design process.