William Grant & Sons Ltd., the owner of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, has announced it will invest in a new, state of the art pot still whiskey and malt whiskey distillery in Tullamore town, bringing whiskey production back to the town for the first time since the original distillery closed in 1954. The 35 million euro investment will meet the long-term production demands for Tullamore Dew, the world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand, which is currently growing by over 15% annually and is central to the growth plans of William Grant & Sons which bought the brand in July 2010.
William Grant & Sons has agreed principal terms and is in the final stages of negotiating the purchase of a 58 acre site at Clonminch on the outskirts of Tullamore from Offaly County Council. The location offers a plentiful supply of natural, quality spring water from the nearby Slieve Bloom mountains, ideal for the triple distillation process used in Tullamore Dew.
Work will begin later this year, subject to planning and permission, and will support 100 construction jobs during the two-year build phase. When combined with the new visitor centre scheduled to open in September 2012, the total employed by the firm in the town will rise to around 25. Tullamore Dew will continue to be bottled in Clonmel, where it employs over 60 people.
“This investment by William Grant & Sons underpins our long-term commitment to Tullamore Dew, the town of Tullamore and Ireland. It represents an important next step in the long-term growth and development of the Tullamore Dew brand, one of Ireland’s food and drink export success stories which is now the second largest selling Irish whiskey worldwide. We’re excited about bringing whiskey distilling back to Tullamore Dew’s roots for the first time in almost 60 years,” said William Grant & Sons’ Chief Executive, Stella David.
Maurice Doyle, Marketing Director for William Grant & Sons, added “the new distillery will not only cement William Grant & Sons’ presence in Ireland, but reinforces the fact that the brand is now firmly rooted back in its original home of Tullamore. Our distillery will combine traditional distillation practices with the very latest in modern and green technologies to prepare the brand for future growth, while making sure the exact same taste and quality which has made Tullamore Dew famous around the world continues to be delivered. Irish whiskey is a major growth story internationally and with this investment we’re looking forward to putting Tullamore Dew and the Midlands region back on the map as one of Ireland’s premier whiskey producing regions.”
