Mr. Kieran Tobin:

I was interested in Deputy Tóibín raising the issue of micro-breweries and the burgeoning industry here, which is great. I work for a multinational company but it is interesting to see this type of industry. In the United States there is an explosion in the use of micro-distillation or craft distillation, which we may begin to see here as well. It will be based on whiskey but it will also take in white spirits like gin and vodka, which are more immediately saleable because whiskey must be aged for a minimum of three years before it can be sold. That side of the industry will come to fruition as well, which will play with the concept of Ireland as a food and drink island.

People will come to taste our products and it will be part of the tourist experience to go to the Guinness Storehouse and a small whiskey company in Dingle. I know somebody starting such a business in Dingle, which is a great tourist centre. Tullamore Dew has just announced it will build its own distillery and it has opened a visitor centre. I am sure Jim Beam, the company which bought the Cooley Distillery, will upscale and upgrade the Kilbeggan centre and push that product. There is a burgeoning expansion in the area and from our perspective in Jameson, the more competition there is, the better. We are not competing against each other. I have provided the statistics; there are 6 million cases of Irish whiskey, 90 million cases of Scotch whisky and 50 million cases of North American whisky. There are probably 200 million cases of vodka. That is what we are after. We have managed to break out of that cycle.