George Roe & Co. Thomas Street

Today George Roe Distillery is a another silent distillery in Dublin‘s Thomas Street, hence its other name Thomas Street Distillery. It was a member of the „Big Four“ and in the publication Truths about Whisky (1878) the following is said:

“...George Roe and Co., was founded before the middle of the eighteenth century, and became the property of an ancestor of the present proprietor, Mr. Henry Roe, junior, in the year 1757...Four additional stills were built in 1872; and these, with other plant erected shortly afterwards, have almost doubled the producing power Of the concern, which is now the largest pot-still distillery in the United Kingdom. During the course of 1877, large corn stores and a new drying kiln have been added; and with this increased power about 5000 barrels of barley and oats are dried every...There are three mash tuns, the largest of which is 36ft. in diameter 7 and 7 ft.6 in, in depth, and eight large pot-stills of the usual construction...the Whisky is stored in warehouses, of which there are seventeen, several of them capable of containing 12,000 casks each.“ (p. 6f)

„Peter Roe had originally bought a small Distillery in 1757.  During the 18th and early 19th century, several members of the Roe family operated several different distilleries in Dublin.  George Roe inherited the Thomas Street and Pimlico (London) distilleries and quickly expanded, buying up premises and land as their business grew.“ (see: www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com)

Roe Distillery was the biggest of the Dublin distilleries and U.K. distilleries. It was located in an area south of the River Liffey covering about 17 acres. It was situated just opposite the Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate. About 2 million gallons of whisky about 9.000.000 litres of spirit were produced annually. Roe Distillery was powered by the largest smock windmill at the time. Today it is known as Saint Patrick‘s Tower at the Guinness Brewery which was built in 1759. The distillery was also not far from Power‘s Lane Distillery.

Mícheál D. Roe reports: „During this heyday of Geo. Roe & Co., Henry Roe applied a substantial portion of the Roe distillery wealth to the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, and the building of the attached Synod Hall (today housing the tourist attraction, Dublina). Between 1871 and 1878, he donated the astronomical sum of 220,000 to 250,000 pounds (equivalent today to approximately 25,000,000 U.S. dollars).“ See www.classicwhiskey.com.

Roe whiskey was exported to the United States, Britain and Canada. In 1889 the distillery became part of the Dublin trading firm called Dublin Distilling Company Ltd. - Dublin Whiskey Distillery Co. Ltd at Jones Road  (D.W.D.) and Jameson‘s of Marrowbone Street - to compete with the strong Scottish Blending business.

Production of triple distilled whiskey ceased around 1926 and the pot stills went cold. Roe‘s whiskey stocks lasted for another twenty years. In the mid 1940‘s the Company George Roe & Co. was liquidized.

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