Old Midleton distillery
A distillery was established in Midleton in 1825 by the Murphy family, who also operated a brewery in Cork. Two years earlier, the regulations on alcohol taxation were relaxed, so that the distillery was built on a large scale. Among other things, there was therefore the largest pot still in the world in Midleton. The whiskey from Midleton was particularly popular locally, the Paddy brand, which has existed since around 1920, was named after its most successful sales representative Paddy Flaherty and still exists today.
At the end of the 19th century, Midleton merged with other distilleries in the Cork area to form the Cork Distilleries Company and in 1966 with Jameson and Power’s from Dublin to form Irish Distillers Limited. Due to space problems, the idea of moving the entire production from Jameson and Powers to Midleton quickly matured. As the capacity of the old Midleton distillery was limited, a larger industrial complex was built near the old distillery in 1975. The Midleton Very Rare brand was produced in a limited edition. The old distillery has been open as a museum since 1992 and is run by Irish Distillers as the Jameson Heritage Center.
Old Midleton factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Midleton | Old Midleton Distillery | Ireland | ||
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Closed | 1825 - 1975 | Grain | Old Midleton | Not Available |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
Old Midleton Timeline:
1966: Midleton merges with other distilleries in the Cork area to form the Cork Distilleries Company
1966: Cork Distilleries Company merges with Jameson and Power’s to form Irish Distillers Limited
1975: Production was shut down and relocated to New Midleton
1992: The distillery is converted into a whisky museum
Can I tour Old Midleton?
No, unfortunately Old Midleton distillery is not open to the public for tours