Guinness lovers, rejoice! A new premium blend of Irish Whiskey will be available across Europe next month and it’s being made at the former Guinness factory.
Irish Central reports that Diageo, owner of Guinness, is set to release Roe and Co. Irish Whiskey, after an approximate $27 million investment into the project. The new distillery will be located at the previous Guinness Power House, near the motherland, Guinness Brewery, in Dublin County, Ireland. Caroline Martin, master blender will source various whiskies to blend from across Ireland until the proper distillery is complete, with an ETA of two years from now.
This large step will bring Diageo back into the Irish Whiskey market, who previously traded Bushmills Irish Whiskey from its portfolio for complete control over the tequila brand Don Julio. Competition will be high, as Jameson (Pernod Ricard) owns 70 percent of Irish Whiskey sales worldwide.
Michael Creed, Ireland’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, tells Irish Central, “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 percent and record exports of over €400 million in the last ten years.”
We’ll raise a glass (of Guinness) to that. According to Diageo, Roe and Co. is “On the nose [Roe & Co] is creamy, delightfully fragrant and remarkably rounded with notes of soft spice and mellow spun sugar along with warm hints of woody vanilla. The quality and perfect balance of the blend is immediately apparent on the palate through its velvety texture and sweet flavours including spiced pears and vanilla. The finish is lingering and gentle, ending with a light creaminess. The sweet pear notes readily apparent in Roe & Co are a wonderfully apt tribute to the once-great Dublin whisky distillery of George Roe & Co. Among the remnants of George Roe’s distillery are its old windmill tower, known as St. Patrick’s, and a magnificent pear tree dating from 1850.”