By Business & Finance 
Diageo has moved into the premium Irish whiskey category with the launch of Roe & Co, a new premium blended whiskey.
The news comes with the announcement that Diageo plans to investment in a whiskey distillery at St James’s Gate. The total project investment at what was once a power station will come to €25m over three years.
Roe & Co is named in honour of George Roe, the once world-famous whiskey maker who helped build the golden era of Irish whiskey in the 19th century. His distillery on Thomas Street in Dublin was once Ireland’s largest distillery.
As neighbours for hundreds of years George Roe and Co and Guinness were the two biggest names at the heart of Dublin’s historic brewing and distilling quarter.
Roe & Co is non-chill filtered and bottled at 45% ABV. The first blend of Roe & Co will be available in European cities from March 1st 2017.
Operations director of Diageo, Colin O’Brien, commented: “The planned distillery will provide employment in the coming years – both at construction and operation stages. It will complement what is already the country’s most popular tourism offering, The Guinness Storehouse.
“This investment further demonstrates Diageo’s commitment to the growing vibrancy of The Liberties, one of the city’s most dynamic districts and the home of Irish whiskey during the original golden age of Irish distilling.”
