The Mount Falcon Estate is happy to welcome Ryan Friesen, former Master Distiller, to the estate's business development team. The career shift comes for Friesen after 10+ years in the spirits industry found he and his wife, Melissa Medich, at the end of a contract and not ready to leave Co. Mayo and the West of Ireland. The close of the opportunity that brough Friesen and Medich from America to Ireland led to the opening of another here at Mount Falcon. With a career spanning operational and strategic team building, broad international experience, a love of the service industry, and time as a local journalist, Friesen joins the Mount Falcon team at an exciting time.
"I've known and worked with Alan [Maloney] and the team here at Mount Falcon for the past two years in my role as a whiskey maker, so joining the team felt like a natural fit," Friesen said. "There is so much about the estate here that I have been singing the praises of since I arrived from California back in 2021. I'm now simply taking that passion and pride of place from a personal message to one that I hope will resonate in the industry and reflect the values and mission of the very special place that is Mount Falcon."
The 2024 season is proving to be the start of an auspicious year for Mount Falcon, with the addition of resident sommelier Maxence Gaudillot, who hails from Burgundy, France, a total reimagining of The Kitchen Restaurant by Chef Tom Doyle, and now the addition of a veteran whiskey-man in Friesen, the food and drink experience has never been more exciting.
"Having Max and Ryan join the Mount Falcon team allows us to leverage the already excellent service our guests have come to expect," Maloney said.
