Irish Distillers wins Cork Company of Year
Irish Distillers have been named Cork Company of the Year for driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey.
The Midleton based distillery picked up the award at the Cork Chamber’s Annual Dinner held in Cork City Hall attended by more than 1,000 leading industry and political figures.
Its leading brand Jameson is the world’s fastest-growing Irish whiskey, achieving 30 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 7.7m cases last year.
Since 2012, it has embarked on a €330m investment project and has seen a 79% increase in sales and employee numbers have jumped from 118 to 240 over the past decade.
Paul Wickham, general manager of Midleton Distilleries said they are truly honoured and humbled to receive the prestigious award.
“There has never been a more exciting time for Irish whiskey and today Jameson is one of Ireland’s most recognised brands worldwide,” he said.
“This award is a tribute to the tireless dedication and excellence of all the craftsmen and women at Midleton and Dungourney, along with all the people who have worked with us through the centuries, whose hard work and passion has put us on the world stage.”
"Led by Cork Chamber, our home county, where we have operated since 1825, is a vibrant, supportive, and inspiring environment and is one of the best places in the world to do business,” Mr Wickham said.
Run in association with Vodafone Ireland and media partner the Irish Examiner, the Company of the Year awards involve a thorough four-month judging process with an experienced mix of professionals from across the business community.
Irish Distillers was also the winner of the Corporate category.
.@IrishDistillers Corporate Finalist:Cork Company of Year Awards 2020.
— Cork Chamber (@CorkChamber) February 5, 2020
Paul Wickham on how the economic, industrial, research, business development infrastructure in Cork supported its portfolio growth. @corkchamber #RecognisingYourSuccess w/ @VodafoneIEbiz
Media @irishexaminer pic.twitter.com/IOM55Q3sun
Other winners announced last night were; Workvivo who won the Emerging Company category; AnaBio who won the SME category; and Crest Solutions who won the Large Company category.
Paula Cogan, president of Cork Chamber, said there are so many companies in Cork always moving forward, driving innovation, and growing their teams.
“Throughout this year’s judging process, it has been particularly exciting to meet companies that excel in sustainability, diversity, and inclusion thus leading on delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals while also leaving a lasting mark on both Cork and the world.”
Ms Cogan thanked their long-standing award partners Vodafone and the Irish Examiner for amplifying the awards.
