Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world’s second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also pro ...

. It is the largest distiller of

Irish whiskey Irish whiskey ( ga, Fuisce or ''uisce beatha'') is whiskey made on the island of Ireland. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Irish , meaning ''water of life''. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a lo ...

, distilling popular brands such as Jameson and Powers, in addition to premium whiskeys such as Redbreast and Midleton Very Rare. In addition to whiskey, Irish Distillers also produces a number of other spirit products such as gin and

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...

History

Irish Distillers Group was formed as Irish Distillers Limited (IDL) in 1966, when a merger took place between three Irish whiskey distilleries,

Cork Distilleries Company Cork Distilleries Company was an Irish whiskey distilling company. It was formed in 1867, when four Cork distilleries, Daly's, the Green, North Mall, the Watercourse were amalgamated under one company to form the Cork Distilleries Company. In ...

, John Jameson & Son and John Power & Son. In an attempt to reverse the decline in Irish whiskey sales, the board of directors decided to close their existing distilleries in Cork and Dublin, and to consolidate production at a new purpose-built facility. A site alongside the existing distillery in

Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satellit ...

Co. Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ...

was chosen as the location for the new distillery, as there was no room for expansion alongside the Dublin distilleries. In 1972,

Bushmills Bushmills (From Irish ''Muileann na Buaise'') is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had a population of 1,295 in the 2011 Census. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available und ...

, the only other whiskey distillery in operation in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

at the time, joined the group, giving Irish Distillers complete control over all whiskey production on the island of Ireland. One Friday in July 1975, production ceased at the Old Midleton Distillery and began the next Monday morning at the new Midleton complex, with distillation at the two Dublin distilleries come to an end a year later. The distillery at

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population ...

remained in operation. The Old Midleton Distillery and Jameson's Bow Street Distillery have since reopened as visitors' centres. In contrast, much of Powers John's Lane distillery has been demolished, with the remaining buildings, now protected structures, forming part of the

National College of Art and Design The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

. Following a

hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...

attempt from

Grand Metropolitan Grand Metropolitan plc was a leisure, manufacturing and property conglomerate headquartered in England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it merged with Guinness plc to for ...

, Allied-Lyons and

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ov ...

, Irish Distillers was the subject of a

white knight A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...

takeover by

in June 1988. In 2005,

was sold to rival drinks giant

Diageo Diageo plc () is a multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweichow Moutai of China in 201 ...

for £200 million. In addition, in 2016, the

Paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

Irish whiskey brand was sold to

Sazerac The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the ''Sazerac de Forge et Fils'' brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combi ...

, though as part of the sale agreement, production of the whiskey is to continue at the Midleton Distillery.

Products

* Jameson Whiskey * Powers Whiskey *

Paddy Whiskey Paddy is a brand of blended Irish whiskey produced by Irish Distillers, at the Midleton distillery in County Cork, on behalf of Sazerac, a privately held American company. Irish Distillers owned the brand until its sale to Sazerac in 2016. As of ...

- sold to Sazerac in 2016 * Redbreast Whiskey * Midleton Whiskey * Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Red Spot, Blue Spot, Gold Spot - produced exclusively for Mitchell & Son Wine Merchants * Method and Madness Whiskey Beyond whiskey, the distillery also produces: * Huzzar Vodka *

Cork Dry Gin Cork Dry Gin is an Irish gin. First produced in Cork in the Watercourse Distillery circa 1793. Since 1975, Cork Dry Gin has been manufactured by Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, at their Midleton Distillery. Cork Dry Gin is the ...

* Method and Madness Gin * Eight Degrees Brewing Company

References

External links

Irish Distillers
{{Irish whiskey Distilleries in the Republic of Ireland Food and drink companies based in Dublin (city) Manufacturing companies based in Dublin (city) Pernod Ricard brands 1966 establishments in Ireland

History

Products

See also

References

External links