Irishman Rebrand Released in the USA
Posted by Irish Whiskey USA on
As announced earlier this year, Walsh Whiskey rebranded the entire Irishman range of whiskies. The liquid did not change; however, the packaging did from the bottle style and design to the screw cap vs. cork stopper. These new bottles are now available widely across the USA.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.— The Irishman range of super-premium whiskeys, produced by Walsh Whiskey and imported by Hotaling & Co., is launching a new bespoke bottle design and extensive rebranding across the entire range in the U.S. Reflecting its dedication to the pursuit of excellence within the Single Malt category, the over $500,000 rebranding investment includes an entire redesign of The Irishman’s bespoke bottle, labelling and packaging, created by HERE design agency in London.
This investment by Walsh Whiskey includes the commission of the new bottle design, brand redesign, production, and a range of marketing initiatives. The rebrand will support the whiskey brand’s target of doubling sales across its 50+ markets within five years.
Announcing the renewed focus on single malt with the brand redesign, Walsh Whiskey founder Bernard Walsh said: “As the Irish whiskey category continues to develop with increasing variety, it is important that we are clear in our proposition to whiskey consumers and this redesign is testament to that dedication. Our message is simple: The Irishman will always be single malt focused and that it will always be triple distilled to leave a lasting impression.” He added: “We respect 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 the single malt spirit. In the generational pursuit of whiskey excellence, our quest for the perfect dram, or taoscán [tay-scawn] of single malt, is just beginning and this redesign in the next step in our ongoing journey.”
The most striking change in The Irishman rebrand is the introduction of a bespoke, tall, tapered bottle with the addition of a cork seal, affirming the super-premium nature of the whiskeys. The bottle has strong whiskey cues, including broad ‘shoulders‘ and a tapered base. A significant feature of the bottle is a series of embossed phrases around the lower part of the bottle that capture the essence of The Irishman’s focus and purpose, which is ‘to pursue a lifelong journey in search of the perfect dram, while respecting past traditions with ambition for future possibilities.’
Additional highlights include:
New bespoke bottle design introduced across the entire range
Founder’s Reserve expression renamed The Harvest
Caribbean Rum Cask Finish added to core expressions in portfolio
A new brand icon is one of three very distinctive features on the label and product packaging. The icon, which features a capital letter ‘I’ (for Irishman) inside two-tone staves of a barrel, signifies The Irishman’s journey to learn from the past while creating the future.
A new color palette of understated cream, green, grey, blue, and burgundy is applied to the labels of the six core expressions of The Irishman range.
Other unique and notable features of the new labels are the addition of braille for the visually impaired and nutritional information on e-labels positioned on the back of the bottle and online. The braille highlighting The Irishman’s brand name, is also a personal tribute by Bernard Walsh to the memory of his own grandfather, Jack Walsh, whose loss of vision made a lasting impression on his grandson.
There are also changes to the composition of the range, with a change of name for one core expression and the addition of a limited edition to the core of the portfolio.
The Founder’s Reserve blend (70% Single Malt & 30% Pot Still) has been renamed The Harvest. This expression, a truly unique blend of two premium styles of whiskey, started life as the first ever whiskey created by Walsh Whiskey’s Founder. The renaming of this core expression as The Harvest honors the great contribution of the farming community in the whiskey-making process. The whiskey is crafted entirely from a mash bill of 100% Irish barley.
First released as a limited edition bottling in 2018, The Irishman Caribbean Cask is being added to the portfolio’s core expressions which also include The Harvest; Single Malt; 12-Year-Old Single Malt; 17-Year-Old Single Malt & the Vintage Cask Strength. The Irishman Caribbean Cask Finish is a rare vatting of Single Malt and Single Pot Still whiskeys finished for 6 months in Chairman’s Reserve Rum casks from the tiny tropical Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia, before being bottled at 46% ABV.
The Irishman Single Malt Whiskey has an ABV of 40% with a suggested retail price of $54.99. The new bottle is now shipping, rolling out nationally over the summer and available online at ReserveBar.com.
About The Irishman Portfolio
The Irishman portfolio is single malt focused – whether championed in pure expressions or blends, each one is 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-edition special cask finishes.
About Walsh Whiskey
Established in 1999, and part of the Amber Beverage Group since 2021, Walsh Whiskey is a leading producer of super-premium, triple-distilled, Irish whiskeys. Its critically acclaimed whiskeys are dedicated to celebrating the Single Pot Still (Writers’ Tears)?and Single Malt (The Irishman) premium styles of whiskey. To date this comprises 23 expressions based on historic recipes from the 19th century, Irish whiskey’s golden age, and a range of rare finishes including Mizunara, Florio Marsala, Rum, Cognac, Coffee Stout, Seaweed IPA, Icewine and of course Oloroso and PX Sherries. The company is based in Carlow, Southwest of Dublin, Ireland.
About Hotaling & Co.
Hotaling & Co., the leading San Francisco importer & distiller, offers the finest curated portfolio of premium artisanal spirits including Luxardo Liqueurs, Nikka Whisky, Kavalan Whisky, HINE Cognac, Denizen Rum, and HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys. Hotaling & Co., originally named Anchor Distilling Company, was established in 1993 and is credited with releasing America’s first craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and American craft gin (Junipero Gin) after Prohibition. In 2010, Anchor Distilling Company was sold to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd and began expanding to incorporate a collection of super-premium artisanal spirits imported from around the world. In 2017, Anchor Distilling became Hotaling &Co. The new name is a nod to one of Anchor Distilling’s most beloved small batch whiskies (Old Potrero Hotaling’s Whiskey) and to the San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who came out West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the most reputable spirits dealers in the country.
This article originally appeared here
A good summary of the original announcement back in February is here.