IRELAND. Cooley Distillery, Ireland’s only independent Irish whiskey distillery, scooped three awards at the prestigious Icons of Whisky 2007 ceremony held recently in London.
The company won Irish Distiller of the Year, Irish Whiskey Innovator of the Year, and Cooley Distillery Chairman John Teeling was named Ambassador of the Year.
In the Irish Distiller category, Cooley was up against stiff competition with both Middleton distillery owned by Pernod Ricard, which produces Jameson, and the Old Bushmills distillery owned by Diageo, which produces Bushmills.
In the Irish Whiskey Innovator of the Year category, Cooley Distillery was pitted against the Old Bushmills Distillery. John Teeling was awarded Ambassador of the Year, with John Ryan from Irish Distillers coming runner up.
News of the triple win was particularly welcome for Criollo Supreme Brands, which was appointed Cooley’s exclusive agent for duty free and travel retail in Benelux and France last year.
Criollo’s Managing Director Jo Raskin said: “It is a rare honour for any distillery to win all three awards but for an independent distiller like Cooley it is a tremendous vote of confidence from the trade.”
A rare honour
John Teeling, Chairman and founder of Cooley Distillery, commented: “It is always an honour to receive awards but it is a singular pleasure when the accolades come from your peers in the industry. Over 20 years, the team at Cooley has built a reputation for excellence, winning over 80 international medals in the last ten years. These awards copper-fasten this reputation.
“Small companies have to be agile to survive competition from large multinationals. Cooley has continuously innovated and will continue to do so. Our development of the Irish peated single malt category with our award-winning range of Connemara whiskeys and the Irish single grain category with our Greenore range of aged whiskeys show a dedication to moving forward, while being aware of our history.
“2007 will see this innovation continue with the launch of of new wood expressions of our Malts and the launch of super premium aged blends. More importantly, Cooley will begin a new boutique distilling operation in the Old Kilbeggan Distillery to mark its 250th anniversary.
“These awards are a magnificent tribute to all the staff in Cooley Distillery and in particular to David Hynes, our Managing Director.”
The Icons of Whisky Awards are organised by The Whisky Magazine. Entrants are selected and voted on by independent whiskey industry members, resulting in an unbiased competition.
About Cooley Distillery
Cooley Distillery is the only independent Irish whiskey distillery. Established in 1987, Cooley takes its name from the location of its distillery, situated at the foothills of the Cooley mountains, in Co. Louth. Cooley is the first independent Irish owned distillery set up in Ireland this century. Cooley has led the development in Irish single malts and grain whiskeys. Cooley has won over 80 international awards for its whiskey and was awarded a trophy in 1998 by the International Wine and Spirits Competition for outstanding achievement to the spirits industry. Visit www.cooleywhiskey.com
For details on Criollo Supreme Brands, contact Jo Raskin, Managing Director, tel: +32 475 255 987 or e-mail criollo@skynet.be Visit www.criollo.be
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