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Samuel Duncan and George Alderdice were two commercial travellers who worked in R. McBlain & Co., a wholesale spirit grocer located in Margaret Square, Newry. They started the business of Duncan, Alderdice & Co. in 1879 and established their headquarters on Hill Street, purchasing warehouses that were erected in 1804 by J.H. Wallace and Co.
The Hill Street premises extended 250 feet to The Mall and included an extensive warehouse which was entered via an archway, offices, whiskey stores and cellars. The cellar alone spanned 100 feet in length. The company was known for several different blended whiskeys such as Hand in Hand, The Native and White Label. The whiskey from the warehouse supplied the refreshment rooms of the Great Northern and Great Southern Western railway systems. They were also distributed to London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Leith, and Glasgow. The company also stocked wines for several of the hotels (of which they held shares in) including the Imperial and the Victoria Hotel in Newry.
An opportunity to expand came in the form of purchasing the Monaghan Street Distillery in 1890. Originally constructed by Denis Caulfield, from 1817 the distillery was home to Matt D’Arcy and Co. After the death of Matt D’Arcy in 1857, Thomas D’Arcy Hoey took over the premises (which had closed in the 1840s) and commissioned improvements to the warehouse and stores. This proved beneficial to Duncan, Alderdice & Co. when they purchased the site. Containing the largest bond store in Newry, the stores and warehouses covered over half an acre of land. By 1891, it was decided to turn the business concern into a limited liability company. Duncan and Alderdice went from being partners of the business to managing directors.
Samuel Duncan also had a hand in saving the Old Bushmills Distillery. The company had entered receivership in 1895 due to over production and lack of sales. He helped raise the £100,000 needed to float a new limited company and encouraged the Honourable Herbert T. Alsopp to join the board. Alsopp, a brewer, was able to sell Old Bushmills’ Whiskey to over 1,000 pubs in northern England. In 1904, Duncan moved to London to become a representative of United Distilleries Limited, a role he occupied until his death in 1915.
Samuel Duncan can also be credited with the creation of a brochure entitled, A Holiday Trip to Newry and some account of the great whisky stores of Duncan, Alderdice & Co. Limited Newry. The author, Alfred Barnard, had previously written The Distilleries of the United Kingdom, published in 1887, in which Newry had been omitted. The new booklet went into detail about the local area, the production of whiskey and the success of the business. George Alderdice remained in the company and in the local area. He lived on the Downshire Road and became a founding member of the Warrenpoint and the Greenore Golf Club. He passed away in 1912. The business would last another 35 years before closing in 1947.
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