The Irish Examiner announced that Mr Knowles from Ballintotis, just outside Midleton, was in his 40s and was married with a stepson.

The Health and Safety Authority are reportedly investigating the fatal incident which occurred in the whiskey maturation warehouse at Dungourney.

The incident has been reported to have occurred around 9am on 12 March but the cause of death is unclear. Mr Knowles was announced dead at the scene and was later transported to Cork University Hospital for a post mortom examination.

The Dungourney site is responsible for the maturation of a variety of Irish whiskey brands, most notably Jameson of Pernod Ricard.

Following yesterday’s tragic news, the company issued a statement which read: "Irish Distillers regrets to confirm that one of our members of staff was involved in a serious incident, which resulted in a fatality this morning in Dungourney, Co Cork.

"At this time, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further, as the incident is the subject of an investigation by An Gardaí Síochána and the Health & Safety Authority. We are cooperating fully with the investigation.”