Midleton opens whiskey ‘innovation hub’

Irish Distillers, the largest whiskey producer in Ireland, has opened a Midleton microdistillery and placed Ireland’s “only female distiller” at its helm, putting “craft and innovation” at the forefront of its production.

Karen Cotter, distiller at the Midleton microdistillery and Anna Malmhake, chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers

Karen Cotter – one of eight alumni of the Jameson Graduate Distiller Programme and the only female distiller in Ireland – has been appointed its first distiller having joined Irish Distillers in 2012. The microdistillery will serve as Irish Distiller’s “innovation hub”, supporting the resurgence of Irish Whiskey through “experimentation with distillations of new and old styles of Irish whiskey”.

During its first year the microdistillery will produce a range of whiskeys featuring a mix of cereals which will be distilled using a manual operation. The second phase will see a wider range of cereals and yeast strains incorporated into the production of its whiskeys.

“Craft and innovation are at the core of everything we do and Irish Distillers have had the foresight to invest in an experimentation hub that will enable us to study cereal mixes, resurrect old Irish whiskey recipes and be a centre of excellence for training up-and-coming Midleton distillers”, said Karen Cotter, distiller at the Midleton microdistillery. “For me, the microdistillery presents a fantastic opportunity to be at the cutting edge of innovation in Irish Whiskey and, with a steady hand guiding me, the future really is bright for us.”

The new distillery, which marks the return to distilling in the Old Midleton buildings for the first time since 1975, will produce 400 small batch casks each year. One of the distillery’s key aims will be to revisit its archives to work toward resurrecting old whiskey recipes

“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”, explained Anna Malmhake, chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers. “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.”

The microdistillery will also form part of the Jameson Experience Midleton, which includes the Jameson Distillery in Dublin.

“As Irish whiskey tourism continues its rapid expansion, it is essential that we develop our tourist offering so they get an authentic, Irish experience”, added Malmhake.

Irish Distillers’ brands include Jameson, Powers, PADDY, Redbreast, Green Spot and Midleton Very Rare.