UK-based drinks group Quintessential Brands, which last month acquired Dublin Whiskey Company in a €10 million investment, has appointed former tánaiste, foreign minister and Labour Party leader Dick Spring as a non-executive director.

The company said Mr Spring will assist the company in the development of its Irish drinks operations, which also include First Ireland Spirits, a Co Laois-based company that produces brands that include Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream.

Mr Spring currently sits on a number of boards including Fexco, International Development Ireland, Alder Capital and Goodbody Stockbrokers.

Quintessential’s chief executive Warren Scott said Mr Spring’s experience and business acumen would be invaluable in helping to drive growth of the group’s Irish brands, both in Ireland and further afield.

"Our goal is to continue to diversify and expand our portfolio of Irish drinks brands and establish ourselves as a leading international player within the global drinks industry, said Mr Scott.

Dublin Whiskey Company is currently in the process of building a new distillery and visitor centre in the Liberties area of the capital. Quintessential intends to move production of its other whiskey brands, which include The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties, to the new facility once it is completed.