Ballyhooly Whiskey hits the shelves with enthuiasm
The power of the press! Since The Avondhu reported on the emergence of Ballyhooly Whiskey at the start of the month, St Patrick’s Mills have brought forward the bottling of the spirt, and now the 600 bottles (minus one) are available.
Lucinda McDonald, whose detective work on an old red label advertising ‘ Ballyhooley Whiskey: A blend of the finest whiskies produced in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland’ put her on the trail of the drink, was the proud recipient of bottle no. 1 - which even bears her own moniker as ‘ Batch Lucinda’.
Based on Lucinda’s work, Cyril Walsh, general manager at St Patricks Mills, who are based in Douglas in Cork, said it was an ‘easy decision’ to relaunch a limited edition bottling of Ballyhooly Blue Ribbon Irish Whiskey.
Ms McDonald puts TheAvondhu in no doubt about her feelings on the contents of the bottle.
“It’s amazing! The nose is beautiful and rich. I’m picking up caramel, fudge, something really buttery.
It’s beautiful.”
Mr Walsh gave a detailed explanation of the Ballyhooly Blue Ribbon - with a little credit to your’s truly for the advancement of the product.
“TheAvondhu has followers all of the world! Within days of your last report we’ve had numerous e-mails all looking to reserve a bottle. With such enthusiasm, we decided to bring forward the bottling and get Ballyhooly Whiskey onto our webshop immediately.”
“This is a non-age statement whiskey, as we’re using three year grain whiskey blended with much older single malt. When you make an age statement on Irish Whiskey, you can only mention the youngest element so we have not referenced the age on the label. In this limited edition bottling, we’re using a 15 year old malt in an 85/15 ratio. A standard three year old whiskey is perfectly drinkable, but by adding a more mature element we have created a different mouthfeel with a much longer finish.”
BLACKWATER - ‘SPIRIT OF IRELAND’
Meanwhile, Blackwater Distillery based in Ballyduff Upper, Co Waterford, has been chosen as one of just 20 fully operational distilleries in the country to take part in Bord Bia’s ‘Spirit of Ireland campaign’, which aims to educate US bar and off-licence staff on the merits of premium Irish spirits.
Exports of Irish alcohol to the US have been strong in recent years. In 2021, Irish beverage exports to the US were valued at €657 million, up 17% from €561 million in 2020. The US is one of the most important markets for Irish alcohol, with €657 million worth of exports in 2021 representing 51% of total exports. Total exports of all Irish food and drink was valued at €1.3 billion in 2021.
The €750,000 ‘Spirit of Ireland’ trade communications campaign comprises virtual reality tours of twenty of Ireland’s distilleries, featuring interviews with master distillers and barrel coopers, so staff can learn first-hand from brand owners in Ireland what makes their product unique and distinctive.
The campaign offers a unique sensory experience using “scratch and sniff” cards to smell and experience barley fields and barrel houses, all aimed at creating an in-depth understanding of Irish spirits.
Sláinte!