Cooley Distillery
Irish distillery known for twice-distilled whiskeys and peated single malt.
via Wikipedia: Cooley Distillery · see source
Cooley Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, established in 1987 and owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan. The distillery was converted in 1987 from an older potato alcohol plant by entrepreneur John Teeling. On 16 December 2011 Beam Inc. announced plans to purchase Cooley for around US$95 million (€71 million); the deal closed a month later, and the distillery now belongs to Suntory Global Spirits, since Suntory bought Beam in 2014.
Quick Facts
- Location
- County Louth
- Owner
- Suntory Global Spirits
- Founded
- 1987
- Founder
- John Teeling
- Stills
- 2 pot stills (wash still: 16,000 L / 16,000,000 cc, spirit still: 16,000 L / 16,000,000 cc; 3 column stills)
Facts from the source article.
History
John Teeling purchased a former State-owned industrial potato alcohol distillery in 1985 and converted it within two years to feature two column stills. In 1998, Cooley received a trophy at the International Wine and Spirit Competition for outstanding quality and an impressive reputation, becoming the first distillery to earn that award. Beam Inc. announced plans to buy Cooley on 16 December 2011 for around US$95 million, with the sale closing on 17 January 2012. Beam was then purchased by Suntory Holdings on 30 April 2014, making Cooley part of Suntory Global Spirits. Since the ownership change, public tours are no longer available. After the sale, John Teeling founded the Great Northern Distillery in nearby Dundalk, while his children Jack and Stephen established the Teeling Whiskey Company in Dublin, using stock from Cooley acquired under the sale agreement.
Product range
Kilbeggan is a blended whiskey originally distilled at the Kilbeggan Distillery, which Cooley bought in 1987. Its best-known version is non-age-stated, but a 15-year aged release appeared in 2007, and an 18-year aged whiskey has also been produced. Kilbeggan Single Grain, formerly called Greenore, is a single grain whiskey made solely from corn and aged in Bourbon casks; it is available in 6-, 8-, 15-, and 18-year versions, with the 15- and 18-year releases being relatively rare at 5,000 and 4,000 bottles respectively. Connemara is a peated single malt whiskey that is double-distilled rather than triple-distilled, and aged in Bourbon casks; versions include single-cask, cask-strength, 12-year, and a high-peat expression called Turf Mór. The Tyrconnell is a single malt whiskey acquired as a brand by Cooley in 1988 after being dormant since 1925, when the original Watt's Distillery closed. 2 Gingers is a blended whiskey founded in 2011 by Minnesota bar owner Kieran Folliard; its company was acquired by Beam Inc. a year after the product's initial release. Cooley also released a single pot still poitín, available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin and Dublin Airport, but it has since been discontinued. Michael Collins, a single malt whiskey produced for the US market, was discontinued after Beam bought the distillery in 2012.
Critical acclaim
Cooley has won over 300 medals since opening. It received European Distiller of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and Distillery of the Year in 2008 from the International Wine and Spirit Competition, as well as Distillery of the Year in 2010 from Malt Advocate magazine. Individual product awards include an IWSC Best in Class for Kilbeggan in 2005, an IWSC Gold Medal for The Tyrconnell in 2004, an IWSC Gold Medal and Best in Class in 2010 for Greenore, and World Whiskies Awards Best in Class in 2011 and 2012 for Greenore.
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