Grants says this marks a major milestone in Tullamore’s history by bringing Tullamore Dew whiskey production back to its roots after 60 years.
The copper pot stills were forged by the Forsyths Coppersmiths in Rothes, Scotland and replicate the originals, which were in use at the old Tullamore distillery until its closure in 1954.
The custom-designed copper stills travelled 775 km in six pieces across the Irish Sea, before being riveted and welded together on arrival at the distillery.
Worldwide sales of Tullamore Dew have doubled to almost 850,000 (9L) cases since 2005. Grants says that with construction under way, the distillery ensures that they can cope with demand as the brand continues to grow globally in the US, Germany, Sweden and central and eastern Europe where Tullamore Dew is already a leading player. The annual production of the new distillery will be 1.84Mla of triple distilled pot still and malt whiskeys - the equivalent of about 1.5m cases.
