Cooley Distillery acquired for €73m as Beam Inc aims to take on Jameson

IRELAND’S last remaining independent whiskey producer, the Cooley Distillery, has been acquired by US spirits giant Beam Inc — the producer of the Jim Beam bourbon brand — for nearly €73 million.

The deal marks the Illinois-based company’s first foray into Irish whiskey, which is undergoing a renaissance in the US and is one of the global spirits sector’s fastest-growing niches.

Beam will be looking to use the $95m (€72.8m) acquisition to directly take on Jameson in the US market via Cooley’s main brand, Kilbeggan. However, it is also acquiring the Greenore, Tyrconnell and Connemara whiskey brands from the firm.