Employing over 600 people between their sites in Cork and Dublin, Irish Distillers is Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines, and producer of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys such as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast and Midleton Very Rare.

The demand for Irish whiskey has grown exponentially over the last decade. In 1996, Irish Distillers sold 1m cases of Jameson for the first time. By 2010, 3m cases of Jameson were sold and by 2019 the 8m case mark was surpassed. In December 2019, alone, Jameson recorded the single largest sales month ever, with 940,000 cases sold.

Bord Bia figures show an increase of 8% in 2019 with the sector now worth €1.45bn to the economy, with 50% of this coming from Irish whiskey.

Distilling sustainably

Earlier this year Irish Distillers launched the Green Spring Barley Scheme. The aim of this is to reduce the carbon footprint and promote biodiversity on farms. Farmers will receive an additional payment of €15/t. This will be paid directly to growers who meet the environmental and sustainability requirements of the scheme.