IDL invests another €10m in Midleton

Irish Distillers recently announced a €10.5 million investment for its Midleton Distillery in Cork which will see the company increase capacity of its single pot still Irish whiskey by over 30%.

Three new copper pot stills are being installed there, each with a capacity of over 75,000 litres, in support of the Irish Whiskey Association’s target of global growth of 300% by 2030.

60 jobs will also be supported during the construction phase; with installation having commenced the stills will be operational by June this year.

Since 2012 Irish Distillers has invested €120 million in the Midleton Distillery: €20 million at its Fox and Geese bottling facility in Dublin while it’s currently investing €100 million at its Dungourney maturation site.

“Irish whiskey continues to enjoy phenomenal global growth, led by Jameson with sales of 5.7 million cases in 2016,” commented Chairman and Chief Executive of Irish Distillers Jean-Christophe Coutures of the latest investment.

“With our increased production capacity, we’re confident that the category will hit the ambitious targets set by the Irish Whiskey Association – increasing exports to 12 million cases by 2020 and 24 million cases by 2030.”

Paul Wickham, General Manager of Midleton Distillery added, “This investment will also see us increase our support for the wider Cork economy. All our barley comes from farms located within 100 miles of Midleton Distillery, supporting families who have produced barley for centuries.

“At present, we spend €60 million annually on cereals, energy, capital projects and payroll in the local economy and this will increase with the installation of these new stills.”