Open or corked, it’s hard to read a bottle in 2017 without a few of these words already oozing down the glass. Some of it's compelling. Some of it's trash. But in the competitive world of brown spirits, white spirits, and everything in between, all of it's for sale and these are clearly Irish flavours that continue to sell. Is that really what we’re selling though? Hand on heart? Don't worry lads, we’re among friends… even just looking at the interesting stuff, Irish whiskey today is just not what it was. With over 20 new distilling ventures, an exploding global market and a flood of new brands, our national spirit is in a rapid state of flux. With the right creative cask-work and some real public transparency, our fast flowing fluid may soon mature into a spiritual renaissance of flavour and depth. On the other hand, we could also end up peddling our own rebottled blarney. Either way, our national drink is at a fork in the river and a little honest chitchat could do it no harm.
So cut the craft. Let’s talk about the hard stuff… On May 25th, the Irish Whiskey Society will be inviting 8 of the industry’s most vocal movers and shakers for a panel discussion on the liquid identity of our national drink: its making, its labelling, its sales, and its spirit. From startup indies to growing global brands, the panel will include brand builders, critics, distillers, and publicans – for a look at the liquid as it's trickling off today. Oh, and it’ll all be oiled with some exemplary tipples selected by our guests. This event has been a long time in the works and we hope we can use our position as an unaffiliated non-profit to provide an open, public, and high-spirited platform for some of the most passionate opinions in Irish whiskey today. It is our absolute pleasure to invite both the panelists and our membership to what we hope will be remembered as a landmark event in both the broader conversation and our own story so far. Early booking advised as this is expected to be a sell out event.
Whiskeys Tasted:
