Jack daniels owner to build new slane distillery

American distillers Brown Forman has struck a deal to buy Slane Castle Whiskey, it was announced today.

The partnership between the maker of Jack Daniels and the Conyngham family of Slane Castle will see the US company invest $50m in the venture, creating 25 jobs in addition to those involved in construction of the distillery.

Henry Mountcharles of Slane Castle described it as a long-term partnership and said his family 'will remain at the core of the business into the foreseeable future'.  

He revealed that the Brown family has visited Slane, while some of the family were guests at last weekend's Foo Fighters rock concert held at the castle.

Mountcharles said the distillery wsould be a major boost for tourism in the Boyne Valley region and 25 permanent jobs would be created. 

Brown-Forman Corporation, which revealed that it has purchased all shares of Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Ltd, will invest approximately $50 million to build a new distillery and consumer experience on the historic Slane Castle estate.

“We are very excited about this new venture into Irish whiskey,” said Brown-Forman chief executive officer Paul Varga. 

“Irish whiskey has been one of the fastest-growing segments in the global whiskey category over the last few years,” said Lawson Whiting, executive vice president and chief brands & strategy officer for Brown-Forman Brands, “and we’re excited to be partnering with the Conyngham family as we build the new Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery and introduce new Irish whiskeys to the world.”

Whiting said that Brown-Forman will open the Slane Irish Whiskey Distillery in late 2016, and introduce new Irish whiskeys in the spring of 2017, initially using high-quality whiskey purchased from other Irish distilleries and then finished to Slane’s exacting specifications while the whiskey made at the new Slane Distillery is laid down to mature.

“We’ll use proprietary methods to create unique and high-quality taste profiles to position our brands in the premium and super premium segments, with a range of blended, pot still, and single grain Irish whiskeys that will delight whiskey aficionados and consumers alike,” added Whiting.

Alex Conyngham of Slane Castle said: “Our family has been part of the Slane community for many generations and we are pleased to join forces with Brown-Forman to bring our special part of Ireland to the world.”