The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Doubles Down on its Dedication to Hospitality – Luxury Hospitality Magazine

~ Winner of the World’s Best Irish Single Malt 2022 deepens links with the trade through partnerships with World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The Michelin Guide ~

Luxury whiskey producer The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has doubled down on its commitment to hospitality this year, deepening its links to valued trade partners through innovative collaborations with world class restaurants, the continuation of its work with The Michelin Guide, and an exciting new partnership with World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as the awards’ Official Whiskey of the World Partner.

In March, the brand partnered with Michelin-starred, modern Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan London, to create a truly unique cocktail, based around its most recent and most accessible release to date, The Donn. The Golden Nectar cocktail is a creative and unexpected serve, featuring light citrus notes in a mimosa cordial, intricate toasty yuzu flavours from Hundred Hills Blanc de Blancs 2018, and anchored by the rich caramel flavour and full-bodied mouthfeel of The Donn.

At the end of March, Jay Bradley, founder of the The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. presented the inaugural Exceptional Cocktail List award at The Michelin Guide Star Revelation Great Britain and Ireland 2023, acknowledging truly exceptional craftsmanship in mixology, to Makis Kazakis, bar manager at Park Chinois. This was part of the company’s ongoing work with The Michelin Guide, having previously partnered as its Michelin Plaque Distribution Partner for the 2022 revelation.

And next month, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. will bring its whiskeys and a selection of expertly crafted cocktails to Valencia, as the official Whiskey of the World Partner of World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Celebrating the richness and diversity of the world’s culinary landscape with some of the best chefs on the planet, this partnership reflects the brand’s continued dedication to hospitality and its incredible restaurant partners.

Jay Bradley, Founder of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said: “As a company, it’s our mission to put premium Irish whiskey back at the top of the global hierarchy, and that means putting it back on the menu of the world’s finest restaurants and bars. Whether that’s by the glass, in a cocktail, or on a plate, we’re achieving that mission at an impressive speed, and I believe that’s a result of the passion we have for hospitality, demonstrated through our work with organisations like World’s 50 Best and The Michelin Guid, and dedication to supporting our incredible partner venues.”

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has roots in the hospitality industry, founder Jay Bradley is a restaurateur by trade, having previously opened and run a successful BBQ bar & restaurant in New Zealand. It was here that he laid the foundations for his whiskey company, developing a deep appreciation for taste and how wood can be treated to impart layers of flavour. As a BBQ Pitmaster, Jay built a team to compete globally in BBQ competitions, winning multiple first place trophies. It was during this period of his life that he gained greater experience of wood – how to season and age the wood to get the right type of smoke and flavour into food, the hydration levels, and how constituents of the wood affect the flavour it delivers. Understanding the different species of wood and grain structure was key. And now he brings that experience to whiskey.

Bradley’s flavour profile, and the taste preference which, among other things, has allowed him to create such hugely successful whiskeys, could be described as low tannin and full of flavour, to lean on a winemaking vernacular. The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. creates whiskeys for connoisseurs who love drinking whiskey, not those who want an impressive bottle gathering dust on a shelf. The focus is always on making his whiskeys the best they can possibly be, cost comes second. This gives him an opportunity to bring a level of craftsmanship not often seen in whiskey making to the process – by constantly tasting batches, assessing, and reassessing the flavour to be able to tweak it when needed, by underfilling his casks.

“If I’m working with a new batch and feel like the flavour is coming along well, but there’s a little bit too much harshness on the back palate, then I’ll round that bad boy out by putting it in a 500L cask and only half filling it, oxygenating the liquid and smoothing it out. Or with a batch that’s super smooth but just lacking a bit of depth of flavour – I’ll put that in a 40L cask of something really deep and dark, if that flavour its lacking is chocolate or raisins, filling it to the top and letting the wood to spirit ratio infuse the liquid with those sweet, woody notes.”

This process of constantly tasting through casks, scoring liquids, keeping tasting notes for each, and then coming back to them after a couple of months in a carefully selected barrel he might have flown in specifically for that batch, is what Bradley attributes as the reason his whiskeys are so special. The range of woods used in making Irish whiskeys is much more diverse than that used in making Scotch or American whisky, with Mulberry, Chestnut, or any hard wood used to add depth of flavour to his liquids.

“There’s a lot of cool things happening in the industry, especially for Irish whiskey. I’m able to play with more types of wood than most other producers do globally, and I’ve got the ability to taste and retaste to identify exactly what each batch is missing, bringing a culinary sensitivity to the process through the selection of different types of casks, from tequila, to cognac, to gin, to wine. Add to that the fact that you can play with your woods as well as with the kind of liquid that its previously held, from French Oak Pinot Noir to American Oak Cabernet Sauvignon – the possibilities for craftsmanship are vast and that’s one of the things I love most about what I do.”

For PR enquiries for The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. please contact Global PR Manager Lucy Harrison, or Head of PR & Communications Matthew Carter-Burwell: Lucy@craftirishwhiskey.com / Matthew@craftirishwhiskey.com.