FROM THE COLLECTION aims to introduce readers to the inventories of local art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions, not via official exhibition notes but by way of the people that help manage and maintain the collections themselves.

“To me, this bottle represents the fight, resolve and determination that the Irish are know for.”

In this edition of From the Collection, we hear from Seán Heather, owner of the recently relocated, much beloved local Irish pub, Irish Heather Shebeen…

“This unopened bottle, found in an attic in Dublin, is the great-grandfather of the Jameson Irish Whiskey that you have probably thrown back a shot of, at some stage in your life. A good-looking and tasty ancestor (late 1940’s, and museum quality), that will run you $1000 at auction.

Irish Whiskey was the top selling whiskey in the world, and then the American Prohibition struck. Within a few years, Irish Whiskey lost its American market, and Ireland’s independence lost it the Commonwealth market. 100s of Irish distilleries closed, leaving a very fragile industry composed of just four distilleries. Jameson was one. Today Jameson is again the giant that it once was and Irish whiskey is a booming industry. To me, this bottle represents the fight, resolve and determination that the Irish are know for.”

Irish Heather Shebeen

Neighbourhood: Chinatown

248 East Georgia St.

604-688-9779

WEBSITE