, the largest ever built, once operated at the distillery. No longer in use, it can still be seen inside the old still room. Lynch later became the sole owner of the premises following the bankruptcy of his partners. The Murphys invested a considerable sum in establishing a large distilling operation at the site, which was to become known as James Murphy and Company. A large undershot timber water wheel was installed to help power the distillery (which was replaced in 1852, by an iron water wheel which survives on-site to this day). The pot still was so large, that it needed to be assembled on-site with the distillery built around it. and by the 1830s, distillery output had risen further, to 400,000 proof gallons per annum, with the distillery having a payroll of nearly 200. In addition to the 31,618 gallon wash still, Barnard stated that the distillery boasted two 10,000 gallon spirits stills, and unusually for an Irish distillery at the time, a
Coffey Still. The distillery, which was lit by gas, was reported to have an output in excess of 1,000,000 gallons per annum, and to produce a whiskey known as "The Cork Whisky Make". In later years, whiskey from the distillery was known as Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whisky, before becoming known as simply "Paddy". In the years that followed Barnard's visit, the Irish whiskey industry entered a period of decline, with Irish whiskey losing significant market share due to a variety of events. These included, the rise of
blended Scotch whisky,
Prohibition in the United States, the
Anglo-Irish trade war (which locked Irish exports out of the British Empire). When
Alfred Barnard visited Ireland, there were 28 distilleries in operation, however, by the 1960s, only a handful of these remained in operation. In 1966 three of these (
John Jameson & Son,
John Powers & Son and
Cork Distilleries Company) chose to amalgamate their operations under the name of
Irish Distillers and to close their existing facilities, and concentrate their operations in a new purpose-built facility to be constructed alongside the existing distillery in Midleton. In July 1975, operations ceased at the Old Midleton Distillery and began anew the next day at the
New Midleton Distillery, with the Jameson Bow Street Distillery and Powers John's Lane Distillery shutting a year later. As a result, the new distillery, is now home to many Irish whiskeys such as
Jameson,
Powers,
Paddy,
Redbreast,
Green Spot, previously produced in separate distilleries. In 1992, the Old Midleton Distillery reopened as a visitor's centre, known as the Jameson Experience.
Connection with Murphy's Stout Murphy's Brewery, known for producing
Murphy's Irish Stout, was established by two younger members of the Murphy family who left the distillery business to strike out on their own in brewing in the 1850s. == See also ==