Dublin, Sep 29 (EFE).– Liquor giant Brown-Forman Corporation, the maker of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, held the ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday for its distillery at Ireland’s historic Slane Castle, the company’s first new whiskey distillery outside the United States.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based company said it planned to invest 44 million euros ($50 million) in the new distillery on the grounds of the estate, which is the home of Henry Conyngham, the eighth Marquess Conyngham, and his son, Alex Conyngham, the Earl of Mount Charles.

Earlier this year, the Irish family sold Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Limited, which produced Slane whiskey, to Brown-Forman.

“Brown-Forman brands are founded on heritage, quality and authenticity, and there is nowhere as real as this beautiful and historic part of Ireland,” Brown-Forman executive vice president and chief brands & strategy officer Lawson Whiting said.

Slane Castle is in County Meath, located west of Dublin.

The new distillery, which will employ about 25 people, is expected to open in late 2016, with the first bottles of Irish whiskey produced there hitting the market in 2017.

“Whiskey by its nature requires a long-term approach, and we look forward to bringing people on a journey of discovery with us,” Alex Conyngham said. “We will offer a range of blended, pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys in the premium and super premium segments. Visitors will be able to come here and literally see where the grain is growing and how we are producing it with care.”

Brown-Forman initially plans to purchase whiskey from other Irish distillers and age it in barrels at Slane based on its own standards.

“This is a great coming together of two historic families – the Browns of Kentucky and the Conynghams of Slane. We are very proud to join forces to bring exciting new Irish whiskeys to the world. The commencement of work on the distillery is just a first step in developing a new Irish whiskey brand and welcoming guests to the new distillery,” Henry Conyngham said.

Brown-Forman, which owns the Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Woodford Reserve, Chambord, Korbel, Herradura and Don Eduardo brands, among others, has about 4,200 workers around the world. EFE