Diageo has announced that it will invest €25m over three years in developing a new distillery at James's Gate in Dublin's City Centre.
The home of 'the Black Stuff' will produce a new premium blended Irish Whiskey called Roe & Co.
The drink is named after George Roe, a key Irish whiskey maker from the 19th century who had an 17 acre distillery on Thomas Street in Dublin - which was once the country's largest.
The historic former Guinness Power House on Thomas Street will house this facility and reunite two old neighbours.
These plans are subject to planning approval and production is due to begin in the first half of 2019.
An initial blend of Roe & Co will be available in "key European cities" from March 1st of this year as part of Diageo’s "growing Reserve portfolio."
It says that the new drink will "reflect modern, contemporary luxury," and adds that it hopes to increase whiskey sales across Europe.
"As seen in other spirit categories in recent years, Diageo identified a clear opportunity in Irish Whiskey to drive overall category growth via premiumisation," the drinks group stated.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed welcomed this news: "Irish Whiskey is experiencing a renaissance and is truly an Irish success story. It is seeing a return to the success it experienced in its golden era in the 19th Century and is now the fastest growing spirit drink in the world with global sales increasing by over 300% and record exports of over €400m in the last ten years."
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovations, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD said, "It is great to see Diageo continue to invest in and further enhance the historical Dublin 8 area to create a fantastic attraction for tourists and locals alike. The proposed distillery will play a major role in the overall regeneration of the Liberties through the repurposing of the St James’ Gate Power House."
Meanwhile, Colin O’Brien Operations Director of Diageo said: "The planned distillery will provide employment in the coming years – both at construction and operation stages. It will complement what is already the country’s most popular tourism offering, The Guinness Storehouse. This investment further demonstrates Diageo’s commitment to the growing vibrancy of The Liberties, one of the City’s most dynamic districts and the home of Irish Whiskey during the original golden age of Irish distilling. We are excited that the planned distillery will help revive the proud tradition of distilling in the Liberties."
