Bushmills Irish Whiskey tell me that they have just unveiled two expressions from its 2023 Causeway Collection which will be available exclusively on the island of Ireland.  These expressions are part of the 2023 release, the fourth, of the Causeway Collection from “the world’s oldest licenced whiskey distillery“. Curated and selected by Bushmills’ Master Blender, Alex Thomas, it features nine rare cask-finished Irish single malts boasting finishes in diverse, rare and unique casks from across the globe.  Both expressions have been carefully selected by Alex from Bushmills’ aged ..read more

In recent years I have been privileged to be involved in the development of Brewing and Distilling programmes in Irish Universities. I have been particularly involved with the development and roll out of the Brewing and Distilling undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in TU Dublin as both a postgraduate student and and as an industry partner for Portmagee Whiskey with Technological University (TU) Dublin and the TU Dublin Enterprise Academy. I also had a peripheral involvement in the development of the Micro Credentials programme in Maynooth University. These industry partnered programmes ..read more

OGHAM WHISKEY SELLS OUT FIRST LIMITED RELEASE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS   Irish Rugby Stars Adam and Dan Leavy launched Ogham Ogham Whiskey this week along with father Donal and friend Doug Leddin. Dublin. May 19th, 2023 – Ogham Whiskey, which was launched earlier this week by Irish rugby stars Adam and Dan Leavy has sold out its first limited release of 1094 bottles in less than 24 hours.   The Single Malt was only made available for sale on its website 10am on Thursday with the final bottle being sold at 9am the following morning.   The launch marked a culmination of a 4-year jou ..read more

AHASCRAGH DISTILLERS EXPAND THEIR FAMILY BOND SERIES WITH A SINGLE GRAIN RELEASE Ahascragh Distillery expand their Family Bond series with their first Single Grain Irish Whiskey release. Clan Colla 7 Year Old Single Grain is a fine Irish whiskey, aged in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Panamanian Rum all the way from Central America.   Ahascragh Distillers are completing the build of their new Irish Whiskey distillery in  Ahascragh Village in East County Galway, Ireland. The brand was founded a few years ago by Gareth and Michelle MacAllister who have have extensive prior business e ..read more

In February of this year, I was invited by Maynooth University (MU) in Ireland to join colleagues from industry and academia in interviews and workshop seminars to advise and support the development by Maynooth University of Ireland’s very first Micro-Credentials syllabus and programme in Brewing and Distilling. The course has now been opened for applications and will commence in March 2023 under the leadership of Barbara Woods from the Department of Chemistry in MU and Dr. Jack O’Shea who many will know of as Master Distiller Emeritus of Pearse Lyons Distillery in Ireland and Alltech. Jack ha ..read more

Brian Watts – An Appreciation. Our great friend and Irish Whiskey Colleague Brian Watts, the Master Distiller and General manager of Great Northern Distillery (GND) died suddenly and unexpectedly on 13 October 2022 at the very young age of just 60 years. In a message to GND clients, John Teeling informed us that: “It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you that Brian Watts, our highly respected distillery manager and friend to most of you, passed in his sleep early last Thursday.” The shock within the Irish Whiskey world has been immense and none more so than among the many small Ir ..read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery Whiskey Production accelerates as $1.2 Bn Expansion Continues In the last five years, Buffalo Trace has increased supplies to consumers by 50% due to increased distillation and ageing warehouse capacity.   Buffalo Trace Distillery have been in touch to say that they are on track to produce more bourbon than ever before as progress on its expansion project continues. Nine years ago, expansion at Buffalo Trace Distillery began to meet growing consumer demand for its products, and to date those efforts have resulted in an increase in whiskey making at the Distillery ..read more

The origins of International Irish Whiskey Day. With less than a week to go to International Irish Whiskey Day 2022 #irishwhiskeyday on Thursday 3rd March, it’s a nice opportunity to answer the most common question that I get asked about the day which is When was it created? and Why 3rd March each year? I came up with the idea of Irish Whiskey Day in 2016 while I was working abroad in Bosnia. It struck me that unlike Scotch, which has “World Whisky Day”, there was no actual day dedicated just to Irish Whiskey. But what would be a suitable day of the year to do proper justice to Irish Whiskey ..read more

The Teeling Whiskey Distillery in the heart of Dublin’s historic Newmarket has long been a popular visitor attraction on the Irish Whiskey Trail and Dublin Whiskey Trail, having welcomed over a half million visitors since opening in 2015. As part of the Failte Ireland Dublin Surprising Stories Scheme a number of upgrades are being unveiled to enhance the storytelling and overall visitor experience at the Distillery. A visit to Teeling Whiskey Distillery is a feast for all the senses, with an engaging and educational tour that makes the most of being cleverly interwoven with the sights, sounds ..read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery 2022 begins by Donating 2,022 Bottles Including its First NFT with Unique OFC Vintage 6 Litre Bottle.   Buffalo Trace Distillery Asks Non-profits to Join in the Quest to Raise Over $2 Million This Year Globally. Included in the offering of 2,022 bottles will be the world’s first six litre bottle bourbon non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which contain bourbon distilled in 1982 in Buffalo Trace Distillery’s O.F.C. line. Other bottles in the 2,022 line-up being donated for selected non-profits to use for fundraising include: 300 375ml bottles of The Single Oak Project Bo ..read more