New distillery sees Tullamore Dew return to roots after 60-year absence

Ireland is to get a €35m distillery that will resurrect the tradition of whiskey making in Tullamore, Co Offaly, bringing the production of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey home after almost 60 years.

The production of Tullamore Dew had been outsourced to the Irish Distillers’ Midleton distillery. It is expected that 100 construction workers will have the distillery up and running by the end of 2014 to meet the long-term production demands for Tullamore Dew, the sales of which are growing at 15% a year.

Yesterday, Scottish distiller William Grant & Sons Ltd, the owner of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, said it will invest in a state-of-the-art pot still whiskey and malt whiskey distillery.

William Grant, which bought the brand in Jul 2010, 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 development is subject to planning permission and 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.

William Grant chief executive Stella David said the €35m investment underpins their 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.”

The company said that, when combined with the new Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre, scheduled to open in Sept 2012, the total number employed by the firm in the town will rise to around 25. Tullamore Dew will continue to be bottled at its current facility in Clonmel, where it employs more than 60 people.

William Grant group marketing director Maurice Doyle said that the 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 are delivered.