Walsh debuts cask strength Irishman whiskey

County Carlow's Walsh Whiskey Distillery has launched the 2017 edition of The Irishman Cask Strength Irish whiskey, a vatting of single pot still and single malt liquid.

The Irishman Cask Strength was unveiled at TFWA in Cannes by the company's new commercial director John Kelly and global sales manager Shane Fitzharris. The limited release will be available in selected global markets and travel retail. Bottled at 54% abv, the whiskey has been matured in first-fill Bourbon casks and was bottled in August 2017. Speaking on the flavour, Fitzharris said: "Subtle hints of toasted almonds and bourbon oak are followed by elegant tones of dried fruit and raisins delivering an intense finish bursting with depth and flavour." Kelly noted that travel retail is now one of the company's priority markets, and said: "2018 will see us stepping up our TR activity and extending our TR footprint internationally, so TFWA and a super-premium whiskey release such as The Irishman Cask Strength 2017 vintage is perfectly timed for us to start getting that message across personally to the TR sector." Each bottle is individually numbered and signed by the founder of Walsh Whiskey, Bernard Walsh. The expression has an RRP of €125 (US$146). John Kelly became commercial director of Walsh Whiskey after moving from his position of executive at Diageo.