When the Irishman met the Sicilian: Walsh Whiskey Distillery unveils two limited editions

Walsh Whiskey Distillery has released two limited-edition, super-premium expressions from The Irishman range.

Both expressions were finished in handpicked Marsala wine hogshead casks from the Florio winery in Sicily, which is owned by Walsh Whiskey Distillery’s strategic partner Illva Saronno.

Only 2,970 bottles of The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Florio Marsala Cask Finish are available and will be rolled out in Ireland, Italy, France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and selected travel retail markets. The bottles were filled in mid-August after a minimum of 12 months finishing in the hogshead casks, which are larger than standard whiskey casks. The triple-distilled, non-chill filtered whiskey has an ABV of 46%.

Limited supply: Travel retail will be one of a few select markets to stock The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Florio Marsala Cask Finish
Only 320 bottles of The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt – Florio Marsala Cask Finish are available

Just one hogshead cask was filled with The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt, resulting in 320 bottles of this expression, which will be exclusively available at the Walsh Whiskey Distillery in Royal Oak, Carlow, Ireland. Also triple-distilled and non-chill filtered, The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt – Florio Marsala Cask Finish is a cask-strength whiskey with an ABV of 56%.

Walsh Whiskey Distillery Founder Bernard Walsh said: “I have always loved sweet tasting wines, so I was drawn to the Marsala from the outset, but I didn’t want it to overpower The Irishman expressions either. I am delighted that we have achieved two beautifully balanced whiskeys which we are proud to make the ninth and tenth expressions in our portfolio.”

The man behind the creations: Bernard Walsh at the Walsh Whiskey Distillery
The story behind the creations

The creation of these whiskeys began in 2015 when Bernard Walsh went to the Florio winery in Marsala, Sicily as part of his international research into new cask finishes for his portfolio of whiskeys. During a tasting of the sweet Marsala wines in the Florio cellars, he became convinced of the potential for an exciting expression to result from finishing his signature whiskey, The Irishman Founder’s Reserve, in Marsala wine casks.

Following the tasting, Walsh selected the ten hogshead casks for return to Ireland for filling with The Irishman Founder’s Reserve. He made a last-minute decision to add one more twist to the innovation by assigning one of the hogshead casks to be filled with The Irishman 12 Year Old Single Malt for a minimum 12 months’ finish.

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