The tale of an Irish whiskey that paints the town red

Curraghmore produces some of the world's highest-quality malted barley that makes Irish whiskey unique

- Vikram Achanta

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.