FDBusiness.com

Leading US Drinks firm Brown-Forman Corporation, the owner of the Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort and Woodford Reserve brands, has started construction of its new the $50 million (€44 million) Slane Distillery in Ireland. The distillery, which will also include a Visitor Centre, is being built on the historic Slane Castle Estate in County Meath, home of Henry Conyngham, the eighth Marquess Conyngham, and his son Alex Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles.

Brown-Foreman bought all shares of Slane Irish Whiskey Company from the Conyngham family earlier this year. The Conynghams remain centrally involved in the development of the new distillery and the new whiskey brands which will be introduced in early 2017.

This is the first new distillery Brown-Forman has built outside of the US and represents its entry into distilling Irish whiskey, one of the fastest growing spirits categories over the last few years. When completed by the end of 2016, Slane Distillery will create nearly 25 new full-time jobs while the construction process will support approximately 80 jobs. The Slane Distillery and Visitor Centre will be a welcome new attraction to the Boyne Valley tourism trail.

According to Lawson Whiting, executive vice president and chief brands & strategy officer for Brown-Foreman, Irish whiskey is one of the most exciting spirits categories in the world and Slane provides the perfect opportunity to begin distilling Irish whiskey. “Brown-Forman brands are founded on heritage, quality and authenticity and there is nowhere as real as this beautiful and historic part of Ireland. We will leverage our wood and whiskey making prowess to create world class whiskey at Slane,” he says.

The distillery and visitor centre, which is in the historic stables complex adjacent to the castle, will see the 18th Century buildings restored and converted to house both the production operations and the consumer experience. The first Slane Irish whiskeys will be launched to market in early 2017 – initially using high quality whiskey purchased from other Irish distilleries and finished to Slane’s exacting recipes and specifications while the first whiskey from the distillery is laid down to mature. Upon completion it will have a potential output of more than 600,000 cases.