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Whiskey Rocks, Neat in Pike Place & Frozen on South Beach

Another trip to the States has come and gone. My latest travels brought me back for a brief visit to NYC, a full week back in Seattle – the city I love and used to live in, and a road trip across Florida. I got to hang out with old friends and make new ones. I started off in Brooklyn, landing on a Thursday evening for a whiskey concert just on the docks. The event had many brands all over the warehouse with a huge stage to the front playing amazing music. Alejandro, DeAnna and I were pouring The Irishman and Writers’ Tears all night long. Writers’ Tears Copper Pot and The Irishman Single Malt proved to be the most popular of the evening!

On the Saturday morning I left New York for Seattle. I used to live in Seattle so it was great to land back and visit my old local spots. Also, I had the opportunity to meet up with my mates over the weekend and then it was back to work on the Monday. I called in to some of my old favourite bars and spoke with them about Writers’ Tears, The Irishman and Walsh Whiskey Distillery. The rest of the week was extremely busy. I worked with reps in Downtown Seattle and also in Renton. Writers’ Tears seemed to be more well known than The Irishman. It was a brilliant opportunity to introduce them to The Irishman brand and compare and contrast it with Writers’ Tears. I had the following weekend off so had the chance to relax in the Seattle sunshine. I also got to go to a Mariners and Red Sox baseball game!

For the last week of the trip I travelled across Florida. Starting in Miami, this trip was non-stop from beginning to end. I met up with Matt Hirsch, the Disaronno ambassador for Florida. He had set up a Bartenders Guild tasting in every city we would be travelling to. In Miami we went to Better Days where we enjoyed frozen Irish coffees with Writers’ Tears & The Irishman Irish Cream Liqueur. We hosted fifteen bartenders and gave them a master class on the Walsh Whiskey Distillery Portfolio. They were a very interactive group with many questions. We visited a few bars that evening but what I really loved in Miami was Wynwood Art District. Seeing all the amazing murals on the side of building was fantastic.

We flew from Miami to Tampa, where we rented a car and headed to another Guild tasting which was a great success. We then travelled to downtown Tampa for some bar visits and staff trainings. The next morning, we headed off to Orlando, unfortunately this did not mean a trip to Disneyland, but we did go to Lil’ Indies for a staff training. We battled the storm to get there on time and had great fun with all the staff. The next day we headed to Jacksonville which was the last stop on our trip. We had staff trainings, bar visits and a whiskey tasting in a liquor store so the day was full of activities!

The icing on the cake after a busy trip was that I got bumped up to business class on my flight back to Ireland. What a great way to end a fantastic market visit!

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.