The foundation of Tooheys dates back to 1869, when
John Thomas Toohey (an Irish immigrant to
Melbourne) obtained his brewing licence. Toohey and his brother
James Matthew ran pubs in Melbourne (The Limerick Arms and The Great Britain) before moving to
Sydney in the 1860s. They commenced brewing Tooheys Black Old Ale in a brewery in the area of present-day
Darling Harbour. By 1875, demand for their beer had soared and they established The Standard Brewery in inner-city
Surry Hills. In 1902, the company went public as Tooheys Limited, and commenced brewing lager (the present-day Tooheys New) in 1930. In 1955, the brewery moved west to
Lidcombe. In 1967, Tooheys bought competitor
Miller's Brewers located in
Taverner's Hill, closing that brewery in 1975. In March 1980, Tooheys merged with
Castlemaine Perkins to form Castlemaine Tooheys.
Bond Corporation purchased Castlemaine Tooheys in 1985. Castlemaine Tooheys were represented as the appellants in the landmark 1990 case of
Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd v South Australia, heard by the
High Court of Australia. Since the brewery operated outside
South Australia, but sold its products there, a South Australian Act Amendment,
imposing a substantial refund value for non-refillable bottles produced in other states, was ruled to be inconsistent with
section 92 of the Constitution of Australia. Due to the significant discriminatory and protectionist financial impacts that they faced, Castlemaine Tooheys successfully invalidated the law.
Lion Nathan acquired a 50% stake in Bond's Natbrew Holdings in 1990, and took total ownership in 1992. (when Hahn Brewery was renamed
Malt Shovel Brewery). Products sold under the Tooheys trademark are brewed at Tooheys Brewery. Home-brew kits are distributed by Lion and produced at Canterbury Brewery. ==Sponsorships==