Whiskey Fungus in Ireland: Setting the Baseline
A first baseline study of the Whiskey Fungus Baudoinia spp. in Irish Whiskey maturation environments.
The whiskey fungus
Anyone who has driven past a long-established bonded warehouse will have seen it: a black, sooty coating on walls, roofs, trees and road signs nearby. This is the whiskey fungus, and it feeds on the ethanol vapour that escapes from maturing casks, the angels’ share.
It was first studied in the Cognac region in the 1870s by the French pharmacist Antonin Baudoin. In 2007, Professor James Scott and colleagues at the University of Toronto formally described it as Baudoinia compniacensis. The genus is named after Baudoin, and the species name comes from Compniacum, the Latin name for Cognac.
Whiskey Fungus on the lower external walls of a US Warehouse
I’ve long been fascinated by it. While completing my MSc in Brewing and Distilling at TU Dublin, the opportunity arose to turn that curiosity into formal research, studying the fungus at whiskey maturation sites around Ireland.
Irish whiskey has grown fast, and new warehouses are going up around the country, so the fungus matters more than ever to distillers, regulators and the people who live nearby. Yet Ireland has had very little data on it. A baseline records what is there now, so that any future change can be measured against it.
Stuart McNamara and Dr Catherine Barry Ryan at Stuart’s MSc in Brewing and Distilling conferral at TU Dublin
The study formed my MSc dissertation. In October, I was delighted to be conferred with my MSc with First Class Honours, and honoured to receive the TU Dublin School of Food Science and Environmental Health medal as Best Postgraduate Student in Brewing & Distilling 2026, together with the Church of Oak award.
Photo: The medal presentation. Left to right: Dr Julie Dunne, Head of the School of Food Science and Environmental Health; Stuart McNamara; Grainne Maguire, Church of Oak; Dr Catherine Barry-Ryan, Programme Chair, MSc in Brewing and Distilling.
Brewing and distilling at TU Dublin
As far as I can establish, TU Dublin is the only university in Ireland offering brewing and distilling all the way from an honours degree through a postgraduate certificate and diploma to a full MSc.
TU Dublin has its own dedicated micro distillery training laboratory.
The undergraduate route came first. Marie Byrne, founder of Chinnery Spirits and an adjunct lecturer at TU Dublin, identified the skills gap the industry’s rapid growth was creating, and championed a dedicated degree. What was then DIT launched its BSc in Food Innovation (Brewing and Distilling) in 2017, with Diageo and Irish Distillers as partners. It now runs as a Brewing & Distilling stream of the BSc (Hons) in Food Science.
The postgraduate programmes grew out of Dr Ciara Walsh’s Enterprise Academy Fellowship, an industry-academic study of the sector. They were designed with industry as a series of steps, so you can start with a certificate and work your way up to the MSc. The MSc, launched in April 2025 with Dr Catherine Barry-Ryan as Programme Chair, was announced as Ireland’s first MSc in Brewing and Distilling.
| Programme | Level | Who it suits |
| BSc (Hons) Food Science, Brewing & Distilling stream (TU881) | Undergraduate, NFQ Level 8 | School leavers and mature students via the CAO |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Brewing & Distilling (TU5304) | Postgraduate, part-time | Working professionals wanting a grounding |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Brewing & Distilling (TU267, TU267A) | Postgraduate, NFQ Level 9 | Graduates converting into the sector; Springboard funding available |
| MSc in Brewing & Distilling (TU349 full; TU409 add-on) | Postgraduate, NFQ Level 9 | Diploma graduates and experienced industry people |
Ireland’s other dedicated degree is SETU Carlow’s BSc (Hons) in Brewing and Distilling, first offered in 2016 and professionally recognised by the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. Between them, the two universities are training the next generation of Irish brewers and distillers.
Thank you
None of this would have happened without Dr Ciara Walsh, who first introduced me to TU Dublin and encouraged and supported me all the way. I was proud to be one of the first students on her postgraduate programme. Collaborating with the then TU Dublin Enterprise Academy alongside my studies gave me a much wider view of the industry than the lab and lecture hall alone.
My thanks to Dr Julie Dunne, Head of the School, and Dr Catherine Barry-Ryan, Programme Chair of the MSc, who presented the medal; to Dr Gemma Kinsella, Head of Food Science and Industrial Biotechnology, for her support throughout my studies; and to Grainne Maguire and Church of Oak, whose award supports and encourages the next generation in our industry.
Stuart McNamara receives the TU Dublin School of Food Science and Environmental Health medal from Dr Julie Dunne, with Grainne Maguire and Dr Catherine Barry-Ryan.”
Special thanks to my supervisor, Dr Brian Gibson; to Professor James Scott of the University of Toronto; to my old friend and mentor, Dr Jack O’Shea, for his encouragement throughout; to the many lab staff, lecturers and regulators who gave their time and expertise; and above all to my family and friends.
What comes next
The next step is exploring how best to build on this research and add to what we know about the whiskey fungus, particularly here in Ireland. I’m also hoping to give back, in any way I can, to the School and the university to which I owe so much. I’ll share more here as the work develops.
For anyone who wants to learn more about TU Dublin’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in brewing and distilling, see the links below.
Links and sources
- TU Dublin Enterprise Academy: launch of the MSc in Brewing and Distilling (April 2025)
- TU Dublin: New MSc in Brewing and Distilling (April 2025)
- TU Dublin School of Food Science and Environmental Health: programmes
- TU Dublin: BSc (Hons) Food Science (TU881)
- TU Dublin: MSc in Brewing and Distilling, Add-On (TU409)
- The Irish Times: DIT launches brewing and distilling degree (2017)
- Checkout: Ireland’s first students of new distilling degree graduate (2019)
- Teagasc: SETU and Teagasc collaboration on brewing and distilling
Stuart McNamara (@WhiskeyBlogger) is an international Whiskey Blogger who edits several International Whisk(e)y and Whiskey Tourism sites including IrishWhiskey.com and WhiskeyBlogger.com. Holding an MSc in Brewing and Distilling with First Class Honours along with a Post Graduate Diploma with Distinction in the Science of Brewing and Distilling from Technological University Dublin, he has served as Chair of the Irish Craft And Artisan Distilleries Association (ICADA) and is an elected member of the National Council of ISME, the Irish SME Association. He is also the creator and editor of International Irish Whiskey Day which is celebrated on 3/3 or 3rd March each year and had a global social media reach in 2021 of over 20 Million. He is a Director of Portmagee Whiskey and has also acted as both a brand and product development consultant to several other Irish Whiskey and other spirits producers.
