Bushmills, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary, has announced that it is making an investment of £1.5m in refurbishing and expanding the equipment used to distil its famous whiskey brand.
The distillery, which employs 120 staff, produces 500,000 cases of the whiskey annually and the site recently moved to 7-day operations breaking all previous production records.
Following its successful refurbishment of the mash house in 2007, Diageo is continuing its investment strategy to grow and develop the Bushmills brand as demand for Bushmills whiskey continues to grow worldwide.
Commenting on the investment Gordon Donoghue Supply Director of Old Bushmills said 'Diageo is committed to growing the Bushmills brand and the refurbishment of all existing nine stills and the addition of 'still 10' will enable us to increase production whilst maintaining the existing high standard of whiskey. Diageo’s own coppersmiths manufacture the stills in Scotland and each distillery has its own unique shape of potstill which will have a major impact on the taste of the final whiskey.
'The global demand for Irish whiskey has been steadily rising since Diageo purchased the brand in 2005. Our recent investment continues the investment strategy announced when Diageo took ownership of the brand and the distillery. To date more than £6m has been spent, allowing us to increase production and efficiency and we are aiming to double our output to 1 million cases within the next 5 years.'
Commenting on the brands celebrations, Gordon concluded, 'Celebrating 400 years of whiskey-making in Bushmills is no mean feat and we are rising to the occasion with a range of events and initiatives. From the launch of our special limited edition commemorative whiskey – the 1608, to the special recognition of having Bushmills Distillery featured on the new Bank of Ireland bank notes we are truly marking the occasion. Our twinning programme with Louisville, Kentucky and our global advertising campaign, along with the host of international visitors joining our celebrations through participation on the Bushmills Trails are just some of the ways in which we are sharing the anniversary with Bushmills consumers across the globe.'
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Notes to editor:
Diageo, owners of Old Bushmills Distillery, is the world's leading premium drinks business. With its global vision, and local marketing focus, Diageo brings to consumers an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across the spirits, wine and beer categories including Smirnoff, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, J&B, Cuervo, Captain Morgan and Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo trades in some 180 markets around the world and is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com
Diageo employs 500 staff in Northern Ireland. The company’s other business interests in NI include:
Diageo Bailey’s Global Supply, a new £40.5m world-class production facility that produces and packages Baileys Original Irish Cream for worldwide export.
Diageo Global Supply, a bottling and canning facility at Marshall’s Road, Belfast, responsible for packaged beverages, including Guinness, Budweiser, Harp, Carlsberg, Smirnoff Ice and Smithwick’s. This business is one of Northern Ireland’s major exporters in the food and drink sector.
Diageo Northern Ireland, responsible for the sales, marketing and supply of Diageo products to the Northern Ireland on and off-trade. Diageo is market leader in the NI alcohol beverages market.