Off-trade news

Pádraic and Jimín Ó Griallais

poitín maker micil distils first Galway whiskey in over 100 years

Micil Distillery is distilling and laying down Galway’s first Irish whiskey in over a century. Sixth generation Connemara distillers Pádraic and Jimín Ó Griallais are following a family tradition going back over 170 years, when their great-great-great grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra, began distilling on a hillside in South Connemara.

Despite the continued challenges in 2021, Micil, already renowned for its poitín and gin, is now adding whiskey to its repertoire and also creating new jobs within its team in Galway. While Micil’s own whiskey matures, the distillery is releasing two initial independently bottled Irish whiskeys in the summer of 2021.

In 1911, the last of the great Galway distilleries closed its doors at Nuns Island, and legal whiskey production ceased in the county. However, poitín/’fuisce’ distilling continued in Connemara as it always had, and the old methods were preserved and handed down from generation to generation through the Irish language. Thus the Galway distilling tradition was kept alive, and the Micil legacy was born. 2021 will be Micil Distillery’s busiest year to date as the brand takes its first (legal) steps into the Irish whiskey category and begins to export to international markets.

For more information, visit www.micildistillery.com or contact mark@micil.ie.

Dubliner Whiskey celebrates new design

Distilled in the heart of the Liberties district of Dublin, the award-winning Dubliner Whiskey is not changing what is inside the bottle. However, a new logo and bottle design forgo traditional packaging in favour of an updated contemporary look and feel.

Created by an all-Irish team, the new design puts the focus squarely on the brand’s distinct personality and provenance.

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey is part of the Dublin Liberties Distillery’s portfolio of Irish whiskeys, majority owned by Quintessential Brands. A young, dynamic team are hard at work at the distillery, opened in February 2019 and considered one of the leading players in reviving Dublin’s local whiskey production.

Hip hop duo Tebi Rex have also updated Irish staple ‘The Auld Triangle’ to reflect modern Dublin in line with the brand’s new look and feel.

The new look will be introduced across the core range: The Dubliner Irish Whiskey and The Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb. In addition, refreshed brand creative is being rolled out across the globe in 2021 - including a new website, advertising campaign and new communications on social media channels.

The Dubliner range is available to purchase online at www.theDLD.com, and at Dunnes Stores.

The simplicity of the Dubliner’s new packaging aims to reflect the straight-talking style for which Dubliners are renowned

Killarney Brewing & Distilling Company launches Irish blended whiskey

Killarney Brewing & Distilling Company, which has been producing quality beers since 2015, has unveiled the next chapter in its evolution with the launch of an eight-year-old premium blended Killarney Irish Whiskey.

Killarney Irish Whiskey is blended, finished, bottled and hand labelled in Killarney. The whiskey will be packaged in handcrafted wooden boxes and sold together with Killarney’s latest innovation, Imperial Stout. The Irish whiskey is finished in Killarney’s own small-batch Imperial stout casks, a stout that was designed to complement the flavours of the whiskey blend.

This limited-edition pairing of Killarney Irish Whiskey and Imperial Stout, of which just 1,092 bottles have been produced, was launched in celebration of the year ‘The Annals of Inisfallen’ was released, in homage to the storied monks of Innisfallen Island located in Lough Leane, Killarney. Killarney Brewing & Distilling Company is in the process of building a new brewery and a custom-built malt and grain distillery. On the heels of a €24 million investment, the stateof-the-art 62,000sq ft facility on the Ring of Kerry will overlook the McGillycuddy Reeks Killarney Imperial Irish Stout Whiskey and are available and lakes of Killarney. Upon completion, the new premise will while stock lasts at local be Ireland’s largest independently owned Kerry outlets and www. and co-located distillery, brewery and visitor irishmalts.com for RRP €100 experience.

Bevella welcomes you on board for a new adventure

Bevella is a strong, confident offspring of Ireland’s largest distributor, Primeline Sales & Marketing, whose vision is to be Ireland’s best independent brand-led distributor in the on and off-trade.

For a Q2 2021 launch, Bevella will distribute a tight, but effective portfolio of emerging and on-trend Irish and international premium beverages.

Bevella is a business which will focus on key business areas such as industry knowledge and understanding of customers, trade and trends, partnering and planning with brand owners, and nurturing reliable, supportive, revenue-driving interdependent relationships with publicans, wholesalers and retailers.

The company’s partners to date include The Muff Liquor Company – Gin, Vodka and Whiskey, Blood Monkey Gin, Connacht Whiskey Company – Straw Boys Vodka and Poitín, Conncullin Gin, Ballyhoo Whiskey and the new Connacht single malt, Two Stacks Whiskey, Killowen Whiskey, Rum and Craft Gins and Xoriguer Mahon Gin. Bevella also has some amazing local and international craft beers and new top tier rum and tequila offerings.

“Bevella will exude Primeline’s 30 years of experience and determination to bring diversity and new experiences to the Irish alcohol industry,” said Bevella director Paul McInerney. “Our experience, capability, imagination and resources are at your disposal.” For further details, call +353 87 332 6783 / +353 (01) 835 3000 or email beverage.adventures@bevella.ie ■