Spirit of the times: Flatley joins long line of celebrities launching alcohol brands
Michael Flatley is planning to release an Irish whiskey.
A filing with the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) made on March 12 shows a proposed label for Flatley Irish Whiskey, The Dreamer.
One of the labels includes the Riverdance star’s name and signature, as well as master blender Noel Sweeney, formerly of Cooley Distillery and Powerscourt Distillery.
According to the proposed Flatley brand label, the whiskey will be a five-year-old triple-cask blend, with the spirit aged in former bourbon, port and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.
The label reads: “This exquisite blend is a tribute to the undaunted dreamers who shape the world. Savour the spirit of ambition and the warmth of achieving the extraordinary. May each sip inspire your path to greatness.
“Dream boldly, savour deeply,” it adds.
The TTB authorised the label on March 20.
The label was filed by Park Street Imports, a Florida-based company founded in 2003 by Harry Kohlmann and Chris Mehringer.
The firm provides back-office solutions, advisory services, and working capital to alcohol brands in the US and around the world.
Park Street’s website claims it has worked with over 1,000 brands in the alcohol space.
Flatley is not alone in the world of celebrities in setting up or endorsing alcohol brands.
MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s Proper No Twelve Irish Whiskey was among the most successful to emerge in recent years. He sold the brand in 2021 to Bushmills owner Proximo Spirits in a deal worth hundreds of millions of euro.
McGregor hasn’t finished with the alcohol space yet. He recently launched Forged Irish Stout, having bought the Porterhouse Brewery in Glasnevin to produce the product.
Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds sold his Aviation American Gin brand to Diageo in a 2020 deal that could be worth up to $610m (€564m).
Last year, Hollywood actor JeanClaude Van Damme announced the release of the Irish whiskey brand Old Oak, which he co-owns.
Northern Irish boxing star Carl Frampton also released an Irish whiskey last year called Stablemate.