Subsidiary | |
Industry | Distilled beverage |
Founded | 1987 |
Founder | John Teeling |
Headquarters | County Louth, Ireland |
Products |
Irish whiskey Malt whiskey and grain whisky -Kilbeggan -Connemara -Tyrconnell -Greenore |
Revenue | €15.9 million (2010) |
Owner |
Beam Suntory (Suntory) |
Website | www |
Cooley Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery, located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, converted in 1987 from an older potato alcohol plant by John Teeling. On 16 December 2011 Beam Inc. announced plans to purchase Cooley for around US$95 million (€71 million). The sale closed on 17 January 2012. Beam was then purchased by Suntory Holdings on 30 April 2014, and became its Beam Suntory subsidiary.
John Teeling bought the former State potato schnapps distillery in 1985. In less than two years, Teeling converted the distillery to have two column stills.
In 1998, Cooley received a trophy at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) for outstanding quality, and for earning an impressive reputation over time. Cooley was the first distillery to be awarded the trophy.
In December 2011, Cooley was purchased by Beam Inc. for $95 million (€71 million). Beam was then purchased by Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan on 30 April 2014, and became its Beam Suntory subsidiary.
Cooley has also released a poitín, available at the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin and Dublin Airport, with the intention of expanding production to release it in other markets such as the US. Michael Collins Irish whiskey was discontinued after the distillery was bought by Beam in 2012.
The distillery features both column stills and pot stills for distillation. Unlike most other Irish whiskeys, which are usually distilled three times, Cooley's products are generally distilled twice, as the third distillation is thought to remove some of the flavor components.
Cooley has won over 300 medals since opening. Other awards they have received include "European Distiller of the Year" in 2008 and 2009 and "Distillery of the Year" in 2008 from the International Wine and Spirit Competition and "Distillery of the Year" in 2010 from Malt Advocate magazine.