Aeneas Coffey

Some sources say he was born in Ireland (most likely in Co. Dublin or Co. Wicklow),[2] while others refer to his birth in Calais, France, to Irish parents.

He proposed public action against illegal distillers and smugglers, particularly in County Donegal in Ulster and in the west of Ireland, where moonshining was most rife.

Between 1820 and 1824, he submitted reports and gave evidence to Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry on many aspects of distilling, including formalising the different spellings of Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky.

[citation needed] He assisted the government in the drafting of the 1823 Excise Act which made it easier to distill legally.

[citation needed] It sanctioned the distilling of whiskey in return for a licence fee of £10, and a set payment per gallon of proof spirit.

First patented by a Cork County distillery in 1822, the column still remained a relatively inefficient piece of equipment, although it pointed the way towards a cheaper and more productive way to distil alcohol.