Jameson Experience recognised for contribution to Irish tourism

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 09 December, 2015

The Jameson Experience Midleton has won the 'Ultimate Ambassador Award' at the second annual #CorkNeedsYou Cork Conference Ambassadors Awards.

The award recognises the economic and tourism benefits the Jameson team has delivered to Cork through 2015.

The distillery's visitor centre has welcomed some 125,000 tourists in the past year, up 5% on 2014.

It has proved as popular among international tourists as domestic ones, with the US, France, Germany and Britain joining Ireland among the top five nationalities attracted to the experience.

New to the attraction this year were a visit to a whiskey maturation warehouse incorporating a cooperage display, and a new "Behind The Scenes Tour". The core distillery tour and whiskey tasting experience remain central to the customer offer, however.

From January, visitors will also be able to visit the site's new micro distillery, which opened in August.

The micro distillery produces small batch whiskeys using both traditional and innovative recipes and techniques dating back to the time of John Jameson.

Sabine Sheehan, sales and marketing manager of the Jameson brand, said: "We are honoured to accept this award on behalf of the whole Irish Distillers team. Our heritage in Cork goes back to 1779, when what was to become Paddy Irish whiskey was first distilled at the North Mall.

"We moved production of the iconic Jameson Irish whiskey to Midleton in 1975 and we've seen the brand grow from selling less than half-a-million cases in the mid-1990s to over 5 million cases this year.

"This global success is good news for Irish distillers and is good news for Cork.

"In the last few years, we've invested over €200 million in upgrading the distillery in Midleton and maturation site in Dungourney, and opened the Irish Whiskey Academy and Archive to lead the way in Irish whiskey education.

"Now, as Jameson's global popularity soars, so too does the popularity of the Jameson Experience Midleton."

Ignacio Peregrina, general manager of the Jameson Experience said, "It's pleasing to note that many Irish people are choosing to holiday at home and enjoy what Ireland, and Cork in particular, has to offer.

"Fáilte Ireland statistics suggest a 4% increase in domestic holiday trips in the last year. Also, the introduction of the daily Jameson bus service from Cork city to Midleton has considerably increased the number of visitors from Cork city."

Seamus Heaney, chairman of the Cork Convention Bureau, which backed the ceremony, said: "To give you a sense of the value of business tourism to the local economy, more than €50 million has been generated in the past eight years here in Cork.

"During the last 12 months alone, we have helped bring more than 13,000 delegates to Cork, 7,000 of whom were international visitors."

Printer friendly version