Irish Distillers comes up trumps at Icons of Whisky awards

Drinks group Irish Distillers has been named Distillery of the Year at the first Icons of Whisky Ireland Awards.

Left-to-right: Ray Dempsey, general manager at Jameson Distillery Bow St., Ger Garland, Irish Distillers whiskey ambassador and Paul Wickham, general manager of Midleton Distillery.

Organised by Whisky Magazine, the Icons of Whisky Ireland awards aim to recognise diversity in Ireland’s historic whiskey industry.

Irish Distillers was also honoured with a number of top accolades including Visitor Attraction of the Year, Master Blender and the Irish Whiskey Brand Ambassador categories.

The drinks maker’s whiskey brand Jameson’s Distillery in Dublin was recognised as the top visitor attraction, folowing a major €11m redevelopment of the distillery in 2017 costing €11m (£9.83m).

Despite being closed for six months to accommodate construction, Jameson Distillery Bow St saw a surge in visitors as whiskey enthusiasts, local and international, have flocked to enjoy the new look distillery and the new experiences it offers.

Irish Distillers was also highly commended in the Brand Innovator category and Paul Wickham was highly commended in the Distillery Manager category. The night celebrated a wide range of established and new whiskey brands and distilleries, highlighting the continued renaissance that Irish whiskey is experiencing in recent years.

Ray Dempsey, General Manager at Jameson Distillery Bow St, said the award was a “fantastic endorsement of the hard work our team has carried out in the redevelopment and opening of the brand-new Jameson Distillery Bow St.

“We’ve been bowled over by the goodwill and feedback from everyone who has come to our home on Bow St to touch, smell and most importantly, taste Jameson in the original Bow St Distillery building.”

Billy Leighton, Master Blender at Irish Distillers accepted the Master Blender Award on the night.

“Although I have the privilege of accepting this award,” Leighton said, “this win is down to the dedication, commitment and the passion of everyone at Midleton Distillery.

“This award is a testament to the hard work we have put in through our commitment to innovation. This quest to innovate and build the category has helped us to create a portfolio of whiskeys that can be enjoyed worldwide and offers something for every occasion, every palate and price.”

Icons of Whisky has celebrated the passion and hard work of distillers across the world since 2007, hosting awards in countries including Scotland, Japan, Canada, the USA and France, but launched a separate event in 2017 to specifically honour the work of drinks makers in Ireland.

Irish Distillers’ Gerard Garland — who picked up a gong for the Irish Whiskey Brand Ambassador 2017 Award — said he was honoured to collect the accolade in the awards’ inargural year, but that his job “never feels like work.”

“Since I joined the industry almost 20 years ago, I have been proud to help tell the story of Irish whiskey to people from all around the world.”

“It’s always great to help increase the interest in and passion for Irish whiskey. I am delighted for the whole team tonight as we see that the industry is just as excited about quality Irish whiskey as we are.”