Tullamore Dew gains on Jameson with 9% growth

By Geoff Percival

Sales of Tullamore Dew whiskey grew by 9% last year, with its owner claiming the gap is narrowing between it and Irish whiskey market leader Jameson.

Newly published figures show that Tullamore Dew contributed strongly to owner William Grant and Sons’ 2017 performance, which resulted in a 12.6% jump in post-tax profits to £250.2m (€281.5m).

The Scottish drinks group has owned the Tullamore Dew brand since 2010, keeping it and disposing of the rest of C&C Group’s spirits division which it bought in that year.

Chin Ru Foo, William Grant’s global brand director for its Irish and American whiskey labels, said 2017 had been “an incredible year” both for the Grant group and Tullamore Dew. She said the brand’s ‘beauty of blend’ advertising campaign and continued innovation had driven global growth for the Offaly-made whiskey.

Grant’s invested €25m in its Tullamore distilling operations last year, adding a new grain distillery and bottling plant.

That spend brought total monies invested in the operation, by the Scottish group, over the past eight years to €100m.

A spokesperson for the company claimed the sales gap between Tullamore Dew — already the second biggest selling Irish whiskey in the world — and Jameson is closing continually, with the Offaly brand now market leader in a number of countries in including Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.