Diageo, the world’s biggest drinks company, has recently unveiled their new Irish whiskey Roe & Co, in Dublin. John Teeling was the original owner and sold his Cooley Distillery for 73m Euros in 2011. Teeling, now aged 71, is supplying Diageo with the grain whiskey for the Roe & Co blended whiskey, using stock he retained when he sold Cooley to Beam Suntory, the maker of Jim Beam bourbon.

Diageo plans to invest 25 million Euros ($26.76 million) over three years to build a distillery in Dublin, nearly two years after it pulled out of the Irish whiskey market. In 2015, Diageo swapped its Bushmills Irish whiskey brand for Cuervo's 50 percent stake in their Don Julio premium tequila joint venture to regain its leading position in tequila.

Demand for Irish whiskey has been growing, particularly in the United States and in South Africa, and has driven Pernod-Ricard's sales as they own the Jameson Irish whiskey brand.

By: Emily Stockden