FDBusiness.com

Irish Distillers has officially opened a €100 million extension to its plant at Midleton in County Cork. The new facility will double the site’s annual production capacity to 64 million litres of pure alcohol. The investment supports the continued growth of the Jameson Irish whiskey brand, which now sells in excess of 4 million cases globally.

Called the Garden Distillery, because of its location in what was the garden of the old distillery cottage, the new facility houses three large hand-crafted copper pot stills. The investment, which has resulted in the creation of 60 jobs, is worth Eur60 million to the local economy.

Anna Malmhake (pictured), chief executive and chairman of Irish Distillers, comments: “The company is proud to play its role in the Irish drinks industry, which is a hugely important part of the Irish economy with annual exports of almost €1.3 billion, a value added contribution of €2 billionn, and a tax contribution of €1.8 billion by consumers. Jameson is a real Irish success story, having achieved 24 years of consecutive volume growth. As one of Ireland’s most successful exports, Jameson and Irish Distillers are playing their roles in the export led recovery of the economy.”

She continues: “The €100 million investment in Midleton, the home of Irish whiskey production, is a reflection of the growing international success of Jameson. In 1988, Jameson sold 466,000 cases globally. Now, 30 glasses of Jameson are consumed every second around the world. This expansion signifies a great day in the history of Jameson and Irish Distillers and we look forward to building upon our success story here in Midleton by continuing to bring innovative facets of Irish whiskey to the market.”

Irish Distillers is investing a further €100 million in a new maturation plant at nearby Dungourney.