Tullamore Dew comes home

TULLAMORE DEW Irish whiskey is coming home.

More than half a century after the distillery in the Co Offaly town was closed, the brand’s Scottish owner William Grant Sons has decided to invest €35 million in building a replacement to meet growing global demand for the whiskey.

Plans have been drawn up to build a pot still whiskey and malt distillery on a 58-acre site in Clonminch on the outskirts of Tullamore, which will be acquired from Offaly County Council.

This will bring whiskey production back to Tullamore for the first time since the original distillery closed in 1954.

It will also give William Grant control over its own supply. At present, it sources whiskey for Tullamore Dew from rivals, including the Pernod Ricard subsidiary Irish Distillers.

“We’re delighted to be bringing Tullamore Dew home,” Maurice Doyle, group marketing director said yesterday.

“It is an important strategic decision and adds credibility to the origins and heritage of the brand by being based in Tullamore.”

The Scottish company will shortly apply for planning permission to the council and hopes to open the distillery in 2014. It would then be another three years before the first whiskey would be available.

About 100 jobs will be created during construction, with 12 to 15 created once the facility is opened.

William Grant plans to continue bottling Tullamore Dew at CC’s plant in Clonmel, where it employs 60 staff.

The Scottish company acquired the whiskey brand, along with three other spirits, from CC in 2010 for €300 million.

It subsequently sold Irish Mist, Frangelico and Carolans for €129 million to Gruppo Campari.

Tullamore Dew is the second biggest Irish whiskey brand after Jameson.