Irish Distillers announces €250m investment in new distillery

Irish Distillers, part of Pernod Ricard since 1988, has announced a €250 million investment plan for a new “state-of-the-art” facility in Midleton, East Cork.

The distillery will supposedly generate around 800 construction jobs over the next three years and 100 new highly-skilled jobs for local people once it becomes operational in 2025.

The new distillery will be adjacent to the historic Midleton Distillery, which received a €50m investment in June to support its efforts to go carbon neutral by 2026. Likewise, the new 22-hectare site is said to incorporate various environmental projects to foster biodiversity. The distillery itself will also be a carbon neutral operation.

Upon the announcement, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “The continued success of the Irish whiskey industry is something that we can be incredibly proud of as a nation. Irish Distillers has played an integral role in the development of the industry. Whiskey has been distilled in Midleton for nearly 200 years, and the €250 million investment will deliver hundreds of more jobs into the future, both during construction and once the distillery is operational.”

Irish Distillers chairman and CEO Nodjame Fouad toasted the investment: “We are immensely proud of the continued strong performance of our full portfolio of Irish whiskeys, led by Jameson which sold over 10 million cases in our 2022 financial year. The new distillery will be a beautiful, landmark development with sustainability at its core and will serve to further demonstrate our commitment to Midleton and East Cork, generating more jobs for the region and further driving recognition of Midleton Distillery as the beating heart of Irish whiskey.”

It is expected that a planning application will be submitted to Cork County Council by the end of this year. If successful, construction will commence in 2023 and two years later the distillery will be producing whiskeys such as Jameson, Midleton Very Rare and Method and Madness.