Whiskey Marketing in Ireland.

[grapesofsloth]

Hello.

I am currently researching an article on the whiskey sector in Ireland. In particular, I am looking for examples of any pubs / restaurants or retail outlets here who have taken an innovative or interesting approach to the promotion and marketing of whiskey.

Any info appreciated!

www.pauljkiernan.wordpress.com

[JohnM]

I suppose the whiskey of the month thing would be a good example. Reduced price for a differnt whiskey each month. There's some info on this website.

Also, Bowes and the Vat House do tastings, where you get a selection of Irish or scotch whiskeys to compare.

[grapesofsloth]

Okay, whiskey-of-the-month, and tastings. Excellent, thanks.

I'm more of a wine drinker normally (or vodka - sorry!) so I don't tend to look at whiskey options too closely when I'm in a bar. But certainly it is rare that I see a special effort being made by establishments to get punters to drink whiskey...

[DavidH]

There is almost no whiskey marketing in this country. Usually you have to squint to see the names on the whiskey bottles behind the counter and you are taking a real gamble with your wallet if you order anything other than the basic Jameson, Black Bush, etc.

Here's an example of an American bar doing something genuinely innovative and shifting gallons of Jameson every day. I've never seen anything like that in Ireland.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

The Ireland Whiskey Trail has been put together by Heidi Donelon. She has a very ken interest in Irish Whiskey and has made a full time job out of doing tasting events.

In 2009 She has put together a trail of pubs and hotels that have decent whiskey selections.

Pubs like O'Loclainn's Pub in Ballyvaughan Co Clare have always marketed themselves as a whiskey pub and have had their own website for years.

However there are other hidden gems scattered around the country ... Like Greens of Kinvara in Co Galway with a wall of whiskey on disply behind the bar as well as a decent selection to chose from. Or Bailey's Corner in Tralee who also have a generous selection of whiskeys too.

The're out there to be discovered but in general they are few and far between.

[grapesofsloth]

David H - Thanks for that. Yeah, I know delicate aromas etc dissipate the longer a whiskey is opened and so I sometimes wonder am I wasting my time on those rare occasions I take a punt on some expensive whiskey in a bar that has been open for God knows how long.

That bar in Minneapolis, it's hard to imagine a single outlet going through seventeen bottles of Jameson per day. I wonder what kind of clientele it gets that they go so crazy for cocktails.

IrishWhiskeyChaser -Thanks also. Yes, I had a look at Heidi's website and she is due to get back to me with some info. She has a solid list of pubs mentioned alright.

I might contact O'Loclainn's to see if they are up to anything interesting at the moment. It's great that they have a functioning website. I wanted to contact the Porterhouse Brewing Company to ask how the plans for their Kerry whiskey are coming along, but nowhere on the website could I see a "Contact Us" button, or even a phone number. Very strange!

[DavidH]

David H - Thanks for that. Yeah, I know delicate aromas etc dissipate the longer a whiskey is opened and so I sometimes wonder am I wasting my time on those rare occasions I take a punt on some expensive whiskey in a bar that has been open for God knows how long.

It's more the random pricing I was thinking of. The bar staff have no idea how much they should charge so you are taking a real chance.

I wanted to contact the Porterhouse Brewing Company to ask how the plans for their Kerry whiskey are coming along, but nowhere on the website could I see a "Contact Us" button, or even a phone number. Very strange!

You can meet them at SeptemberFest in Farmleigh.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

IrishWhiskeyChaser -Thanks also. Yes, I had a look at Heidi's website and she is due to get back to me with some info. She has a solid list of pubs mentioned alright.

You'll probably find that it is Ally & the guys in the Celtic Whiskey Shop that have done the most to promote Whiskey appreciation in Ireland in the last few years.

It is they who have gone out to get bars to stock a decent range of Whisk(e)ys. They have done this in Dublin and Galway but not sure where else. They have also set up the whiskey of the month ... not sure if it is still running but I'm sure Michael will be able to fill us in. Ally tries his best to source single cask editions of Irish Whiskey which are very appealing to the enthusiast.

We as a society hope to do our part also. We hope to increase peoples awareness and appreciation of Whisk(e)y no matter where it is from. This forum is one tool but we also hope to dramatically expand our website create a one stop shop for Irish Whiskey information.

Even David and Myself have websites on the subject. David has an excellent Blog called "Irish Whiskey Notes" and is a great source of information of current Irish Whiskey news.

And I have an Archive site of many bottles of Irish Whiskey I have come across in the last 10 years of my whiskey obsession

Click on IWC logo below

[grapesofsloth]

Oh, pricing... Yeah, I kind of remember being in a bar before and asking for some super-premium whiskey and the young guy serving me looking blank for a minute then just charging me the price for a standard whiskey.

I'm in touch with the Celtic Whiskey Shop alright. I suppose they are the main specialist whiskey retailers here. Would Mitchells be any good?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Oh, pricing...
I'm in touch with the Celtic Whiskey Shop alright. I suppose they are the main specialist whiskey retailers here. Would Mitchells be any good?

O'Brien's are probably the next best bet ... they had a Glenmorangie tasting lately so obviously trying to create some buzz also.

[grapesofsloth]

Thanks, IWC.

I actually used to work for O'Briens a couple of years back. The extent of their whiskey promotion back then was to just discount Black Bush and Jameson at Christmas time.

[JohnM]

Oddbins used to be very good, but because of some changes in the law, they don't get as many whiskies as they used to. They would have had a very big stock. Indeed, I think that's where a lot of the Celtic Whiskey Shop staff came from.

There's a shop in Kilkenny with a good selection too. The owner is a member here, I believe.

I think Deveney's in Dundrum used to have a good selection too, but I haven't been there in a long time.

And Foxes on College Green also has a good selection. Berry Bros have closed down here, or are closing down. They had an okay, but expensive, selection. And Mitchell's is good too.

[grapesofsloth]

Some good names there, JohnM, thanks.

Devaneys in Dundrum used to be my local back in the day. The staff are very very friendly and knowledgeable there...

[JohnM]

I knew MJ Deveney. He lived on our road and ran the shop in Harolds Cross. It's closed now, though, as is the one in Terenure.

[grapesofsloth]

Thanks again to everyone for their help. My glass runneth over with info now and the challenge is for me to squeeze it all into just 2,000 words!

By the way, anyone know offhand where in Cork I can get Greenore? I think it's a beautiful whiskey and was thinking of getting my dad-in-law a bottle.

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Hope your article comes together well for you,

Please post a link when your article is complete/published.

Thanks for dropping by!!!

[grapesofsloth]

It'll be in "Drinks Industry Ireland" magazine in a few weeks.

And I hope to do a joint piece with Heidi Donelon later in the autumn in "Corklife" magazine, on the whiskey joys of Cork!

[Whiskey Pilgrim]

Kaixo Chico,
As usual its the wildgeese, whiskey dispora leading the way...look no further than Spain´s Basque region in the provence of Bizkaia..a hamlet called Gernika cradles the best Irish whiskey bar in the world,Scanlan´s Tavern not only a dedicated Irish whiskey,has the worlds largest "pub" collection (150 approx) of Irish whiskey.hosts regular bespoke tastings and is very po-active in promoting Irish whiskey in the area.
I should know ,,i´m the gaffer....slainte