merrion street

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, today turned the sod at a new Tullamore D.E.W. distillery at the company’s headquarters in County Offaly.

Speaking at the event, Minister Coveney declared “Tullamore D.E.W. is one of the original great names in the rich heritage of Irish whiskey. It is a great satisfaction to see it brought back home to Offaly”.

The Minister marked the start of construction by breaking a mini-cask of Tullamore D.E.W. at the site of the new €35m distillery. The project will provide ample distilling and storage space for Tullamore D.E.W. for the next 100 years and together with the expanded Visitor Centre will provide 25 jobs in Offaly, in addition to the 200 jobs provided during the construction phase.

Noting the expansion in consumption of Irish whiskey worldwide, Minister Coveney said “Globally, the Irish whiskey category is the fastest growing spirit category worldwide and is currently the fastest growing whiskey category in the important American market”.

Commending Tullamore D.E.W. for the restoration of distilling in Co Offaly Minister Coveney declared “it is vital that the industry never loses sight of the need to maintain focus on preserving the traditional practices and heritage, which is what Irish whiskey is all about”.