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Walsh Whiskey Distillery Secures €4m Contract in Ontario, Canada

Woodman Wines & Spirits Inc Become Exclusive Agent in Ontario for Entire Writers’ Tears & The Irishman Whiskey Portfolios

Minister for Agriculture Food and The Marine, Michael Creed T.D., Attends Contract Signing in Toronto as part of Trade Mission to Canada and the US

Toronto, Canada & Royal Oak, Carlow, Ireland – 28^th February March 2018: Walsh Whiskey Distillery, one of Ireland’s leading whiskey producers, has agreed a €4m contract over four years with Woodman Wines & Spirits Inc. for the exclusive sale of its full portfolio of 10 super-premium whiskeys under the Writers’ Tears and The Irishman portfolios in Ontario, Canada. The contract was signed as part of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine’s Trade Mission to Canada and the United States led by Minister Michael Creed T.D.

Canada is a Top 10 market and one of the fastest growing markets worldwide for Irish whiskey, growing by 20.5% for the first 10 months of 2017. Walsh Whiskey has been exporting Writers’ Tears to Canada since 2013 in association with Woodman Wine & Spirits. Ontario’s economy is valued at €495bn (C$763bn) and is Canada’s most populous State with 14 million people, many of whom live in the Canadian capital of Ottawa and cosmopolitan Toronto.

Under the contract, Woodman Wines & Spirits Inc. becomes the exclusive agent for the complete Walsh Whiskey portfolio of 10 premium and super-premium whiskeys. There are three SKUs under the Writer’ Tears’ range, namely: Writers’ Tears – Copper Pot; Writers’ Tears – Red Head and Writers’ Tears – Cask Strength. The Irishman range includes 7 SKUs – The Irishman – Founder’s Reserve; The Irishman – Single Malt; The Irishman – 12 Year Old Single Malt; The Irishman – 17 Year Old; The Irishman – Founder’s Reserve Marsala Cask Finish;The Irishman –12 Year Old Single Malt Marsala Cask Finish and The Irishman –Cask Strength.

The contract is being announced today as part of a trade mission by the Irish government’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in association with Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board.

The trade mission is led by Minister Michael Creed T.D., who said: “This partnership between Walsh Whiskey and Woodman Wines & Spirits is an exemplar of what we believe many other Irish and Canadian companies can do together. It is the result of a partnership based on an excellent product and an excellent service, cemented by trust that they have built since their first commercial steps together a few years ago.”

Welcoming the deal, Bernard Walsh, the Founder and Managing Director of Walsh Whiskey said: “Having watched Writers’ Tears – Copper Pot achieve great success under Woodman’s guidance, especially in places like Toronto, we now have great confidence in what Woodman Wines & Spirits can do with our entire portfolio. If my own experiences here as an Irish man are anything to go by, then The Irishman range of whiskeys will soon be beneficiaries of a great company and beneficial to great company…if you see what I mean!”

Jason Woodman, Vice President, of Woodman Wines & Spirits said: “As the success of Writers’ Tears has shown, there’s tremendous interest in authentic,  Irish whiskey here in Ontario. With the introduction of The Irishman range of whiskies, to complement the Writers’ Tears range, we’re going to further grow the category, and work hard to bring it to the attention of enthusiastic consumers.  We are privileged to represent some of the top brands in the world and count Walsh Whiskey Distillery among our key suppliers.”