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Aeneas Coffey (c. 1780 – 26 November 1852) was an Irish people excise official, inventor and distiller. He is known for patenting the Coffey still, which is named after him, and which remains widely used globally.
Though details about Aeneas Coffey's early education are scarce, he is believed to have attended some classes at Trinity College Dublin before entering the excise service around 1800 as a gauger.
In 1808, he married Susanna Logie and the two had four sons: Aeneas, Philip, William and Andrew.
Coffey's excise career advanced steadily: from sub-commissioner of Inland Excise and Taxes at Drogheda (1813–1815), to surveyor of excise for Clonmel and Wicklow (1815–1816), then Cork (1816). By 1818, he was acting Inspector General of Excise for Ireland, a post officially confirmed in Dublin by 1820.
His time in Donegal was marked by conflict, including a violent attack by illicit distillers in 1810, reflecting the tense relationship between excisemen and communities reliant on moonshining.
Coffey resigned as Inspector General in March 1824 and soon invested in land, purchasing 800 acres in County Kildare in 1828.
Post-resignation, he turned to the distilling business, managing Dublin distilleries and patenting his innovative continuous column still in 1830.
By the mid-1830s, Coffey relocated to London, maintaining a Dublin office until 1856, while his still design gained international adoption, particularly in Scotland.
Coffey died on 26 November 1852 in Bromley, Middlesex, England.
He advocated for action against illegal distillers and smugglers, particularly in County Donegal and western Ireland, where moonshining was prevalent. Between 1820 and 1824, he provided evidence to Parliamentary Commissions on distilling matters, including standardizing the spellings of Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky. His 1822 report gained support from Irish distillers.
Coffey helped draft the 1823 Excise Act, which legalized distillation under license (£10 fee plus spirit duty). The Act established a unified Board of Excise for the UK and created assistant commissioner roles for Scotland and Ireland.
Changing the design by enhancing vapor recirculation, creating a more efficient still that produced lighter, higher-alcohol spirits, Coffey patented his design in 1830.
While Irish distillers largely rejected it, Scottish and English producers adopted it for Scotch whisky and gin production.
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