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The Rise and Renaissance of Irish Whiskey

How Irish whiskey rebounded from two distilleries in the late 1970s to about 50 today, driven by Jameson, single pot still whiskey and new distilleries.

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In our companion exploration of The Downfall of Irish Whiskey, we examined how a catastrophic convergence of geopolitical conflicts, American Prohibition, trade wars with Britain, and resistance to continuous distillation brought the once-dominant Irish whiskey industry close to extinction.

By 1978, when the Coleraine distillery closed its doors, the entire island of Ireland was reduced to just two operating distilleries: the Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim and the New Midleton Distillery in County Cork, opened in 1975. Both were owned by one company, Irish Distillers (IDL).

Since then, Irish whiskey has staged one of the biggest revivals in spirits. Global sales rose from just under 5 million cases in 2010 to a record 16.2 million nine-litre cases in 2024, according to the Irish Whiskey Association, and the island had 50 operational distilleries by March 2025.

Here is how it came back.

Timeline of the Irish whiskey revival. 1978: only two distilleries operate, Midleton and Bushmills. 1987: John Teeling founds Cooley Distillery. 1988: Pernod Ricard acquires Irish Distillers. 2010: Jameson reaches 3 million cases, and global Irish whiskey sales are just under 5 million cases. 2012: Dingle Distillery is founded and Beam buys Cooley. 2014: Tullamore distillery opens. 2015: Teeling, Waterford and Great Northern distilleries open. 2019: Dublin Liberties and Roe and Co open in Dublin. 2022: Jameson passes 10 million cases. 2023: Bushmills opens its Causeway Distillery. 2024: record sales of 16.2 million cases; Waterford goes into receivership. 2025: 50 operational distilleries on the island.

1. The Rebel of Riverstown: John Teeling and Cooley (1987)

The first crack in the two-distillery monopoly came in 1987, when academic and entrepreneur Dr John Teeling bought a redundant state-owned potato alcohol plant in Riverstown, County Louth. Teeling converted it into Cooley Distillery, often described as the first new independent Irish whiskey distillery in nearly a century. Beam bought Cooley in 2012, and it is now part of Suntory Global Spirits.

What Cooley changed:

Cooley challenged the prevailing consensus that Irish whiskey had to be mild, gentle, and triple-distilled. In 2008, Cooley was named World Distiller of the Year by the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), a sign that an independent Irish distillery could compete with the established names.

2. Global Distribution and the Jameson Phenomenon (1988)

In 1988, French drinks group Pernod Ricard acquired Irish Distillers after a high-profile takeover battle, and put Irish whiskey into its worldwide distribution network.

The biggest beneficiary was Jameson:

Jameson’s triple-distilled blend introduced millions of drinkers across North America, Europe and Asia to the category, and many went on to try aged and smaller-batch Irish whiskeys.

3. The Renaissance of Single Pot Still Whiskey

While blended Irish whiskey drove volume, drinkers took a growing interest in Ireland’s own traditional style: Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

Single pot still whiskey is an Irish style, made at one distillery in pot stills from a mash of at least 30% malted barley and at least 30% unmalted barley, with up to 5% of other cereals such as oats or rye, under the Irish Whiskey Technical File:

A table of the four styles of Irish whiskey recognised by the Irish Whiskey Technical File. All must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland for at least three years in wooden casks. Pot still, or single pot still: malted and unmalted barley, at least 30% of each, with up to 5% other cereals, in pot stills at one distillery; picks in this guide are Green Spot, Redbreast 12 Year Old and Powers John's Lane 12 Year Old. Malt: malted barley only, like Scotch single malt; the pick is Connemara Peated Single Malt. Grain: usually maize or wheat with some malted barley, in column stills, and the base of most blends; this guide has no grain pick. Blended: any mix of two or more of the above, and most Irish whiskey sold; picks are Jameson Irish Whiskey, Tullamore DEW and Bushmills Black Bush.

4. The 21st-Century Craft Distillery Explosion

What began as a slow revival in the late 1980s accelerated into an unprecedented craft distilling boom after 2012:

Dublin’s Historic Liberties Revived

Dublin was once a centre of world distilling, home to large Victorian distilleries like John Jameson’s Bow Street and George Roe’s Thomas Street. In 2015, Jack and Stephen Teeling (sons of John Teeling) opened the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Newmarket, in the Liberties, described as the first new distillery in Dublin in about 125 years. It was followed by Pearse Lyons Distillery in the restored St James’ Church (2017), and the Dublin Liberties Distillery and Diageo’s Roe & Co (both 2019).

Regional Terroir and Farm Distilling

The Landscape Today

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YearOperational distilleriesGlobal sales
19782 (Midleton and Bushmills)Not published
20104Just under 5 million cases
2024 to 202550 (March 2025)16.2 million cases (2024)

Sales are nine-litre cases, as reported by the Irish Whiskey Association.

The growth has slowed: value has not kept pace with volume, US sales dipped slightly in 2024, a 15% US tariff applied from 2025, and Waterford’s receivership showed that not every new distillery survives. But from two distilleries in 1978, the island now makes blends, single pot still, single malt and grain whiskey at around 50 sites. For a starting point, see our Irish whiskey for beginners guide or compare UK prices on Irish whiskey.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.