Paddy Triple Distilled - Circa 2000

Ireland’s original Midleton distillery opened in a former woollen mill just outside Cork city in 1825. Midleton’s owners the Murphy brothers founded the Cork Distilleries Company (CDC) in 1867; a century later with market conditions in potentially terminal decline, CDC merged with Jameson and Powers to form Irish Distillers. Soon afterwards, both Dublin distilleries were closed and all whiskey production was switched to a large new distillery at Midleton, which opened in 1975. 

Irish Distillers was bought by Pernod Ricard in 1988 and the new owners have invested hundreds of millions in Midleton in recent years. Today, Midleton distillery has a production capacity of over 70 million litres of pure alcohol per year, making both single pot still and grain whiskey for their Jameson, Midleton, Redbreast, Powers and Green Spot brands, as well as the legacy brand Paddy’s, which was sold to Sazerac in 2016. Further investment has been announced to make Midleton distillery carbon neutral by 2026.

The Irish blended whiskey brand now known as Paddy began life in 1877 as the Cork Distilleries Company’s Old Irish Whisky. Cork Distilleries Company (CDC) had been formed in 1867 through the amalgamation of interests of four distilleries - North Mall, Daly’s, Watercourse and The Green - with Midleton joining the fold in 1868.

Originally a pure pot still spirit, CDC’s Old Irish Whisky became a phenomenon thanks to legendary salesman Paddy O’Flaherty, who joined CDC in 1882. O’Flaherty’s technique was very simple: he visited every pub he could find and ordered everyone in the bar a glass of Old Irish. This strategy was so successful that Old Irish soon became known colloquially as Paddy’s Whisky and on O’Flaherty’s retirement in 1913 CDC renamed the brand in his honour. CDC became part of Irish Distillers in 1966; in 2016 owners Pernod Ricard sold the Paddy’s brand to New Orleans’ Sazerac company, though the whiskey is still made under contract by Midleton.