Teeling Whiskey celebrates expansion by hiring staff in Dublin and America

TEELING Whiskey is on a major recruitment drive as it expands on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Dublin-based distillery is hiring 10 staff for its visitor centre in the Liberties and is recruiting a team of six brand ambassadors for its sales and marketing division in the US.

The Irish-owned distillery, which manufactures four whiskey brands and a Spirit of Dublin poitin, operates a popular visitor centre at its headquarters on Newmarket Square that has attracted more than 90,000 visitors since it opened last year.

Founded in 2012 by Jack Teeling, the distillery now employs 55 staff and exports to 44 countries.

“We are looking at increasing our headcount by 25pc over the coming months following strong organic growth in our business,” said Teeling, the company’s managing director.

The 10 new staff being hired here will work in the distillery’s visitor centre, gift shop, cafe, and events management department. Six new brand ambassadors will be added to Teeling’s eightstrong US-based sales and marketing division.

“For us, in terms of our overall numbers, this is a big investment in the US market,” said Teeling.

“But the US market is so huge and we need Irish people who are passionate and who can tell our story to the bars, restaurants and consumers to enable us to get where we need to grow.”

Teeling Whiskey is being supported by IBEC’s Export Orientation Programme which helps firms with international marketing and exporting.

Run by brothers Jack and Stephen, the entrepreneurial sons of industry veteran John Teeling, the founder of Cooley Distillery, located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Teelings’ turnover at the firm more than tripled last year to almost €24.5m.

This was largely due to bulk whiskey sales to Great Northern Distillery, the Dundalk-based facility bought by John Teeling from Diageo two years ago.

Teeling Whiskey sold whiskey worth €1m to GND, enabling it to kick-start its expansion into supplying the secondary market.

Earlier this year, Teeling posted a pre-tax profit of €2.9m.