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News
Single estate Irish whiskey plans granted
Plans to build a new €10 million (US$11.4m) single estate Irish whiskey distillery in County Wicklow, Ireland, have been given the green light.
From left to right: Gerry Ginty, Ashley Gardiner, Sarah Slazenger, Roy Court.
Powerscourt Distillery has received planning permission for the construction of a distillery and visitors’ centre at the Powerscourt Estate, in Enniskerry, which has a history dating back to the 13th century.
The distillery is a joint venture with Powerscourt Estate and Gardens, supported by an agreement with the estate’s owners, the Slazenger family. The estate currently receives more than 500,000 visitors a year.
“We are delighted with the planning permission granted for this unique and ambitious project,” said Gerry Ginty, Powerscourt Distillery CEO and co-founder.
“Whiskey from Powerscourt Distillery will be recognised for its authenticity and unique taste. We will combine certified mineral water from the estate with barley grown on the estate to create something that is extra special. In essence it will be the ultimate Irish whiskey, created from barley to bottle on Powerscourt Estate.”
An old mill house on the estate will be transformed into a distillery with the potential to produce one million bottles of whiskey annually.
Run by master distiller Roy Court, the distillery will create pot still whiskey using barley grown in the surrounding fields and mineral water from Powerscourt Estate’s well.
The distillery 30 construction jobs and 18 full-time positions once fully operational. It is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Gerry Ginty and Ashley Gardiner, who first announced their plans in September 2015.
Production at the Powerscourt Distillery is expected to commence in early 2018.
Sarah Slazenger, managing director of Powerscourt Estate, said: “We are very pleased to see this key milestone achieved and look forward to progressing the development of this exciting new venture for the estate which will help attract more visitors to Powerscourt who are interested in seeing authentic Irish craft excellence brought to life.”