VII
Latest News

Sips & Stories

Latest story fresh off the press

Walsh Whiskey takes on Tales of the Cocktail

Carlow, Ireland

Another two-week trip kicked off this month in Charlotte, North Carolina. Where I had the opportunity to hold an engaging whiskey masterclass to our distributors of BreakThru Beverages. Afterwards I visited a few bars in the area to spread the word of The Irishman and Writers’ Tears. I went straight from Charlotte to Philadelphia, where I spent two days. I checked out the historical city of Philly and visited some amazing bars with the Disaronno reps, from Cigar Bars to Speakeasys with bowling lanes. As happy hours are always essential, I hosted one in an Irish Bar for consumers and reps.

It was on to Portland, Maine after that. Portland was very welcoming and I hosted a whiskey tasting along with our distributors for the United States Bar Guild. The tasting was located on the docks so the whiskey and view went down a treat. After a quick stop at Manchester, New Hampshire it was on to New Orleans.

Typewriter and Writers' Tears

New Orleans is one of my favourite cities. It’s bursting with culture, amazing food and an even better night life. I arrived ahead of Tales of the Cocktail which is the biggest Spirit Convention in the world. This week is filled with seminars, events and catch ups with friends from all over. We had a lot going on during the week, including being featured in a seminar called Cork to Kirkwall which discussed distilleries across Ireland & Scotland. This seminar featured our Irishman Founder’s Reserve.

On the Thursday of Tales we hosted our Writers’ Tears Poetry Room, which was held in the middle of the French Quarter. We had cocktails on the go, our whiskeys for people to sample and I brought over the Writers’ Tears Red Head and Cask Strength for an exclusive taste. We had local poet, Christian Cubs Modern Day Wordsmith, come in and do personalised poems for attendees.

After our party was over and the week was coming to a close, my seminar was the last to close out Tales. I was asked to sit on a panel with four other Brand Ambassadors to discuss “What’s in your Warehouse?” I got the opportunity to sit with some great Brand Ambassadors from Tullamore Dew, Teeling, Kilbeggan and Midleton. We each tasted and spoke about whiskeys from our range that are yet to be released (watch this space!) It was a huge honour to sit with such a knowledgeable panel and it was a great experience overall.

For the next few weeks I’ll be based in Ireland. Next month, however, Katie Shaughnessy, Walsh Whiskey’s new Brand Ambassador will be coming to the States – keep an eye out for her!

Stuart Caffrey, from Drogheda, is a Brand Ambassador for Walsh Whiskey Distillery. Stuart’s background in the drinks and his previous knowledge of the Irish Whiskey category give him an excellent foundation for travelling the world educating trade and consumers on all things Irish.