Brendan Buckley joins IDL’s leadership team
As part of his new role, Brendan will hold responsibility for strategy, innovation and Irish Distillers’ prestige whiskey portfolio.
A native of Tralee, County Kerry, Brendan graduated from University of Limerick with a Bachelor Degree in Marketing and Economics. Prior to joining IDL he was directly involved in two successful start-up ventures in Ireland and the US, both of which were related to the alcohol industry. In 2001 he joined IDL’s domestic business and held a number of roles before eventually becoming Marketing Director for its domestic portfolio. In 2008, he joined the International Marketing team responsible for the global development of Irish Distiller’s portfolio of Irish whiskey brands and also assumed responsibility for the Innovation function across the business.
A key part of his role will be to ensure the sustained growth of IDL’s prestige whiskey range. Its portfolio of award-winning prestige whiskey brands (Redbreast, Green Spot, Midleton Very Rare) saw growth of 24% in 2015, reflecting the increasing global interest in Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, the style of whiskey unique to Ireland. The prestige brands are now exported to 22 markets.