SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.— Super-premium whiskey from Ireland, produced by Walsh Whiskey and imported by Hotaling & Co., launched a new bespoke bottle design and extensive rebranding across the range in the US. Reflecting his dedication to pursuing excellence in the Single Malt category, the rebranding investment of over $500,000 includes a redesign of The Irishman’s entire bespoke bottle, labeling and packaging, created by the design agency HERE in London.
This investment by Walsh Whiskey includes commissions on new bottle designs, brand redesign, production and various marketing initiatives. The brand change will support the whiskey brand’s target of doubling sales in its 50+ markets within five years.
Announcing a new focus on single malts with a brand redesign, Walsh Whiskey founder Bernard Walsh said: “As the Irish whiskey category continues to expand with increasing variety, it is important for us to make our proposition clear to whiskey consumers and this redesign is testament to that dedication. Our message is simple: The Irish will always focus on the single malt and will always be triple-distilled to leave a lasting impression.” He added: “We honor and honor Ireland’s great distilling heritage, while also exploring exciting new innovations using rare and unusual woods and finishes, as well as cereal varieties, to influence single malt vibrancy. In our pursuit of next-generation whiskey excellence, our search for the perfect dram, or single malt taoscán [tay-scawn], has just begun and this redesign is the next step in our ongoing journey.
The most striking change in The Irishman’s rebranding is the introduction of a bespoke, tall, tapered bottle with the addition of a cork seal, emphasizing the nature of the super premium whiskey. The bottle has strong whiskey cues, including broad ‘shoulders’ and a tapered base. An important feature of this bottle is a series of embossed phrases around the bottom of the bottle that capture the essence of The Irishman’s focus and goal, which is ‘pursue the journey of a lifetime in search of the perfect drama, while honoring the traditions of the past with ambition for future possibilities.’
New bespoke bottle designs introduced throughout the range
Founder’s Reserve expression renamed to The Harvest
Caribbean Rum Cask Finish added to the core expression in the portfolio
The new brand icon is one of three very distinctive features on product labels and packaging. The icon, which features a capital ‘I’ (for Irish) inside a two-tone barrel, signifies the journey of the Irish to learn from the past while creating the future.
A new color palette of simple creams, greens, grays, blues, and burgundy is applied to the labels of the six core expressions of The Irishman range.
Another unique and prominent feature of this new label is the addition of braille for the visually impaired and nutritional information on electronic labels placed on the back of the bottle and online. Braille featuring the brand name The Irishman, is also a personal tribute by Bernard Walsh in memory of his own grandfather, Jack Walsh, whose sight loss made a lasting impression on his grandson.
There have also been changes to the composition of the range, with a name change to one of the core expressions and the addition of a limited edition to the core portfolio.
Founder’s Reserve mix (70% Single Malt & 30% Pot Still) has been renamed The Harvest. This expression, a truly unique blend of two premium whiskey styles, began life as the first whiskey created by Founder Walsh Whiskey. The renaming of this core expression as The Harvest honors the great contribution of the farming community to the whiskey-making process. The whiskey is made entirely from mash bills of 100% Irish barley.
First released as a limited edition bottle in 2018, The Irishman Caribbean Cask is being added to the core expression portfolio that also includes The Harvest; Single Malt; 12 Year Old Single Malt; 17 Year Old Single Malt & The Power of the Vintage Keg. The Irishman Caribbean Cask Finish is a rare Single Malt and Single Pot Still whiskey that is finished for 6 months in a Reserve Rum cask from the small tropical Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia, before being packaged at 46% ABV.
The Irishman Single Malt Whiskey has a 40% ABV for a suggested retail price of $54.99. The new bottle is now shipping, launching nationwide over the summer and available online at ReserveBar.com.
The Irishman portfolio focuses on single malts – either championed in pure or blended expressions, each one a true original, triple distilled to leave a lasting impression. The Irishman is distributed worldwide in over 50 countries and has six core expressions (The Harvest; Single Malt; Caribbean Rum Cask; 12-Year-Old Single Malt; 17-Year-Old Single Malt & the Vintage Cask) and three limited – special edition keg completed.
Founded in 1999, and part of the Amber Beverage Group since 2021, Walsh Whiskey is a leading producer of super-premium, triple-distilled Irish whiskey. His critically acclaimed whiskey is dedicated to celebrating the premium styles of Single Pot Still (Writers’ Tears)?and Single Malt (The Irishman). To date it consists of 23 expressions based on historic recipes from the 19th century, the golden age of Irish whiskey, and a variety of rare finishes including Mizunara, Florio Marsala, Rum, Cognac, Coffee Stout, Seaweed IPA, Icewine and of course Oloroso and PX Sherry. The company is based in Carlow, Southwest Dublin, Ireland.
Hotels & Co., a leading San Francisco importer & distiller, offering the best portfolio of premium artisanal spirits including Luxardo Liqueurs, Nikka Whiskey, Kavalan Whiskey, HINE Cognac, Denizen Rum and HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys. Hotels & Co, originally named Anchor Distilling Company, was founded in 1993 and is credited with releasing America’s first craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and American craft gin (Junipero Gin) after Prohibition. In 2010, the Anchor Distilling Company was sold to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd and began to expand to include a collection of super-premium artisanal spirits imported from around the world. In 2017, Anchor Distilling became Hotaling & Co. The new name refers to one of Anchor Distilling’s favorite small batch whiskeys (Old Potrero Hotaling Whiskey) and San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who came to the West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the leading liquor dealers in the country.
For More Information: https://www.walshwhiskey.com/
