Fine Gael TD for Cork East Constituency, David Stanton, has welcomed confirmation from Irish Distillers of a €250 million investment in the Midleton Distillery complex for the development of a new state-of-the-art distillery on site.

Subject to planning and licensing requirements, the investment will see the construction of a new carbon-neutral distillery on a 55-acre site adjacent to the existing distillery with associated brewing, fermentation, and distillation facilities to produce some of the distillery’s most famous whiskey brands. Irish Distillers expects the planning application to be submitted to Cork County Council later this year and construction to begin next year with a view to the facility being operational by 2025.

Speaking after the announcement, David Stanton said: “I am delighted that Irish Distillers has confirmed such a considerable investment to expand operations at Midleton Distillery which is recognition of the long established and continued success of operations on site. This is fantastic news for the town of Midleton and for the wider East Cork area from both an employment and tourism perspective.

“It is expected that some 800 jobs will be generated during the development of the distillery with a further 100 positions expected to become available on site in advance of the facility becoming operational. Such an investment will also no doubt see the Midleton Distillery gain further recognition on an international stage for the quality of its produce in addition to its attractiveness as a visitor destination.

“The distillery is synonymous with Midleton and this vast expansion of the complex will ensure that whiskey distillation and production remain at the forefront of operations in the town well into the future”, concluded Deputy Stanton.