Irish Distillers Celebrates 5m Cases of Jameson Milestone
Irish Distillers, the largest Irish whiskey producer in Ireland and home to the iconic brands of Irish whiskey – Jameson, Paddy and Powers, is celebrating the major milestone of global sales of 5 million cases of Jameson this year and the opening of its new microdistillery in Midleton, County Cork. Jameson has been driving the success of the Irish whiskey category for the last twenty years, growing from less than 500,000 cases in 1996 to 5 million this year. Its success is underpinned by a commitment to innovation and craft, and the new microdistillery will continue that tradition.
Anna Malmhake, chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers, comments: “Jameson is an unparalleled export success story, having sold less than 500,000 cases in 1996 to over 5 million this year, and it is poised to continue its phenomenal trajectory. We have recently doubled-production capacity in Midleton to keep pace with the astronomical growth prospects, and we expect to have to expand capacity again in the next few years to keep up with demand.”
Anna Malmhake, chairman and chief executive of Irish Distillers.
When fully operational, the new microdistillery will produce 400 casks of Irish whiskey per annum, from brewing through to maturation. These will be innovative, small batch whiskeys which will play a key role in the future of Irish whiskey development.
“Our Archivist recently uncovered a notebook personally used by John Jameson II in 1826 which he used to take note of special recipes and ingredient mixes used by the original Jameson distillers,” she explains. “The microdistillery will enable us to bring these old Irish whiskeys back to life in the modern era, as well as experiment and innovate with new ingredients mixes.”
Anna Malmhake adds: “In addition, it will be a key feature of the Jameson Experience Midleton. We currently welcome over 410,000 tourists per year to the Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin and the Jameson Experience Midleton. As Irish whiskey tourism continues its rapid expansion, it is essential that we develop our tourist offering so they get an authentic, Irish experience.”
