Cooley Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery located on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland. Founded in 1987 by John Teeling, the distillery began producing whiskey in 1989 and quickly established itself as a bold challenger to the established order. At the time of its founding, Cooley set out to break the monopoly held by Irish Distillers, making it the only independently owned distillery in Ireland for many years. In 2011, Cooley was acquired by Beam Inc. for $95 million, and subsequently became part of Suntory Global Spirits following Beam's own acquisition. Cooley is renowned for producing a diverse range of pot still and malt whiskeys, offering a breadth of styles that set it apart in the Irish whiskey landscape. Among its most notable brands is Kilbeggan, which has been produced at Cooley since the distillery's inception in 1987. Cooley also acquired the historic Kilbeggan Distillery, resuming production there in 2007, just in time for its 250th anniversary, preserving a piece of Irish whiskey heritage. The legacy of Cooley extends beyond its own walls. John Teeling's sons, Stephen and Jack, went on to found the Teeling Whiskey Company, further cementing the Teeling family's significant influence on the modern Irish whiskey renaissance. Cooley's pioneering independent spirit helped reshape and reinvigorate the Irish whiskey category.