New plans unveiled for former Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre

Exciting new plans have been unveiled for a café, gastropub, and live music venue in the former Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre in Bury Quay.

Last November, William Grant & Sons announced that the historic premises, previously the Old Bonded Warehouse in Tullamore, had been acquired by Emante Ltd, a partnership between Alan Clancy, a prominent figure in the entertainment and hospitality industry, and golfer Shane Lowry.

It is this company that has signalled its intention to lodge a planning application to Offaly County Council seeking approval to change the use of the landmark protected structure, from a heritage centre to a café, gastro public house, and live music venue.

This will involve internal alterations for the ground floor café, public house and gastropub on all levels, kitchens and stores, reconfigured toilets and circulation areas, new external signage and all ancillary site works, according to the recently published planning notice.

William Grant & Sons said last year the deal came following an extensive consultation and competitive bidding process to select an appropriate new owner for the historic 19th century building.

Speaking about the sale at the time, David Moore, Tullamore D.E.W. Head of Marketing, said: “Built in 1879, The Old Bonded Warehouse is an integral part of the Tullamore D.E.W. brand history and, in recent years, has been a hugely popular destination in Tullamore for tourists and locals alike. We are pleased to work with Alan Clancy and Shane Lowry to ensure that it continues to be an important destination for the town of Tullamore.”

To the shock of many in Tullamore, the company announced the closure of the Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor centre in Bury Quay in September 2020, saying they intended to relocate the Visitor Centre Experience to their state-of-the-art whiskey distillery along the Tullamore bypass.

The prominent stone-faced building along the canal had housed the Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre since 2012 and welcomed up to 40,000 visitors each year.

The new Tullamore D.E.W. Ultimate Distillery Experience, which promises to give visitors a behind-the-scenes tour of the state-of-the-art distillery, showcasing the history and heritage of this world-famous brand, is expected to be launched later this month at their base along the Tullamore bypass.