Spirited showing by NI newcomers at global event

The enterprising trio – Shane McCarthy, Donal McLynn and Liam Brogan – the founding directors of Belfast-based Irish Craft Beverages (ICB), a marketing and export company for artisan spirits and beers, tasted their first success in the recent World Whiskies Awards for premium blended whiskey produced with Killowen Small Batch Distillery in Rostrevor.

Launched late last year, Two Stacks, the innovative whiskey brand they have created, won a bronze medal in the prestigious awards which attracted thousands of entries from distilleries in many parts of the world.

Two Stacks, the most recent and smallest of our fast developing whiskey scene, creates the recipe, finishes and bottles whiskey from other smaller Irish distillers. Two Stacks gained its first international award for its First Cut premium blend.

“We are grateful to be considered among such prestigious company the world over. We are loving the new contemporary styles of Irish whiskey beginning to get the recognition they deserve on the World stage,” Shane, ICB managing director, says.

“While it’s just a bronze award this time, we’ll be pitching for gold next year. It’s still a marvellous boost for us and a tremendous endorsement of the quality and taste of our first whiskey.”

The whiskey, he continues, is now on sale in many international markets including the US and “doing exceptionallywell with lovers of good Irish whiskey”.

In addition, ICB’s Dram in a Can, the world’s first canned Irish whiskey which contains the award-winning spirit, is proving “an outstanding success in the US”.

“We’ve just received another large follow-up order from the US to keep up with the demand for the canned whiskey,” says Shane.

Two Stacks is the outcome of an ICB drive to revive the tradition of independent bonding, blending, and bottling in Ireland.

“Where once many towns and cities and even villages across Ireland had merchants, grocers, and public houses developing their own unique expressions of whiskey very few now have. The craft of whiskey bonding and blending in Ireland disappeared as the artisan industry declined throughout the 20th century. We are reviving this rich heritage and showcasing how uniquely brilliant Irish whiskey can be through our blends, finishes and cask strength offerings,” Shane adds.

“Every release from Two Stacks will be different to the one before. Each handcrafted expression will be carefully sourced, managed, finished, blended or matured from different distilleries across Ireland. In an age of increasing automation in the drinks industry, Two Stacks relies on traditional techniques that have earmarked high-quality whiskey distilling for more than 100 years – from determining timing through taste and nose while in cask to manually disgorging casks and hand labelling each bottle.”

Three other local companies were recognised for five whiskies in the highly influential annual awards, the most important for global spirits. The awards select the very best in all internationally recognised styles of whiskies. The awards select, reward and promote the world’s best whiskies to consumers and trade across the globe.

The other successful local companies were Old Bushmills in Co Antrim; Dunville’s from Kircubbin in Co Down; and The Quiet Man, Derry city, Co Derry. The only category winner from Northern Ireland this year was Dunville’s single malt, an Irish heritage whiskey brand. Dunville’s was named category winner in Single Cask Single Malt for its 12-years and under PX Cask Strength Irish Whiskey. Dunville’s was also listed bronze in the 13-20-years and under category for its 18- years old whiskey matured in sherry casks.

Bushmills, the world’s oldest whiskey, collected silver and bronze. The silver was for its 21-year old single malt and bronze for its 2008 Marsala Cask Finish. The iconic distillery is now owned by Jose Cuervo, the Mexico tequila leader. The Quiet Man, owned by Luxco of the US, gained silver for its 12-year-old single malt.

Whiskey distilling is now among the most dynamic sectors in our hugely successful food and drink industry. Global sales are flourishing from around 10 distilleries. In addition to the four successful in the World Whiskies Awards, award-winning single malt and blended whiskies are also being marketed internationally by The Sexton in Bushmills; Hinch, which is located near Ballynahinch; Matt D’Arcy’s in Newry; Dragon’s Claw in Holywood; Mourne Dew in Warrenpoint; and Killowen in Rostrevor. Shortcross in Crossgar, which has won international acclaim for its gins, will launch single malt whiskeys later this year and Boatyard in Enniskillen, an award-winning double gin producer, will also introduce a single malt whiskey soon. A new distillery, in addition, is at the planning stage in the Glens of Antrim.

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