€100m distillery plan - Whiskey and jobs galore

WE are all aware of the great harm the misuse of alcohol can cause but we must recognise too that it is one of the great lubricants of our economy.

The sector sustains thousands of jobs in cereal farming, production and in retailing and makes huge contributions to the exchequer every time we buy a drink.

If the sector could be seen as a weather vane industry and an indicator of what could lie ahead then Irish Distillers’ decision to invest €100 million in production facilities in East Cork is very welcome.

The company plans to build 40 maturation houses to store 640,000 casks of whiskey to satisfy booming international demand for Jameson. It is not the first time a whiskey made things look better.