The distillery, which is located in the former Guinness Power Station at St James’s Gate in Dublin, is home to three unique copper stills, which can run both triple and double distillation, under the talented eye of Head Distiller Lora Hemy.
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| The Roe & Co distillery floor |
In the 19th century, George Roe helped build the golden era of Irish whiskey and put Irish whiskey on the global map. The Roe & Co blend was crafted by Master Blender, Caroline Martin, who chose an intense, fruity malt whiskey and smooth grain whiskies that have been slowly matured in first fill bourbon casks.
The new Roe & Co visitor experience will allow guests to explore the working distillery, with tour groups able to trace the rise and fall of Irish whiskey and celebrate its current revival. At the start of this decade, there were four working Irish whiskey distilleries, now with the coming-on-stream of Diageo’s Roe & Co Distillery, there will be 27.
The launch of the Roe & Co Irish whiskey distillery, has been led by a talented female team from Diageo, comprising of distillers, blenders, marketeers, bartenders and commercial specialists, which include Gráinne Wafer - Global Brand Director, Caroline Martin - Diageo’s Master Blender, Lora Hemy - Head Distiller and Hayley Millner - Marketing Manager.
Commenting on the news, Gráinne Wafer, Global Brand Director for Roe & Co, said: “Our Master Blender, Caroline Martin began the journey of reimagining Irish whiskey, but we didn’t stop the reinvention there. Today we are launching a state-of-the-art distillery and experience like no other, led by our extremely talented distiller, Lora Hemy. This boutique experience, which will have a maximum of 16 guests per tour, will ensure visitors can get up close and personal with our remarkable distillery and whiskey, focusing on the five pillars of flavour.”
She went onto say: “The distillery will provide direct employment for 18 people and will complement what is already the country’s most popular tourism offering, The Guinness Storehouse. This €25m investment into the Roe & Co Distillery further demonstrates Diageo’s commitment to the growing vibrancy of The Liberties, one of the City’s most dynamic districts and the heart of brewing and distilling.”
Roe & Co’s malt whiskey spirit, has been flowing through the spirit safe ahead of the distillery doors opening, and will distil 14,000 litres of whiskey in every run, with an annual maximum capacity of up to 500,000 litres of alcohol.
Posted by Steve Rush