III
Our Story
Our family dream
Creating a legacy of
whiskey excellence
Inspired by Ireland’s Golden Era of Irish Whiskey
Established by Bernard and Rosemary Walsh in 1999, Walsh Whiskey is a family business dedicated to playing a part in the revival of Irish whiskey as one of the world’s most appreciated spirits.
Philosophy
& craft
We create contemporary innovations and expressions for the pleasure of palates of a new era, using the backdrop of timeworn recipes from Ireland’s golden era of whiskey distilling.
We are whiskey creators with a purpose and enthusiasm to question, create, experiment, challenge and, ultimately, to make things better.
Our philosophy is anchored in the Walsh family motto which is ‘Never Say Die’. And that resilient attitude, along with our passion, innovation and attention-to-detail drive our family’s dream to create a legacy of whiskey excellence.
Our Values
Perseverance
We live up to the Walsh family motto which is ‘Never Say Die’. If we don’t succeed first time round we will continue to try until we do.
Creative
We believe in the power of imagination to create new ideas, solve problems and develop exciting whiskeys.
Forward-Looking
We believe in constant progress and always look to the future for new opportunities.
Genuine
We are warm and respectful in how we act and treat others.
Integrity
We are a family business with strong values. We endeavour to do the right thing and never compromise with shortcuts.
Considered
We always think about the long-term implications of everything we do and how we do it.
We will live our values with a spirit of fun and enjoyment and where we fail or make mistakes, we will learn and try again.
Question
Create
Experiment
challenge
Question
Create
Experiment
challenge
The History
Having established Walsh Whiskey in 1999, Bernard and Rosemary Walsh are on a life-journey of exploration to create the perfect drop of whiskey imaginable. As their journey and creations evolve, Bernard and Rosemary have built an international following for their portfolio of super-premium, award-winning whiskeys: The Irishman and Writers’ Tears.
Both brands offer taste profiles that are unique, through the recreation of traditional Irish whiskey recipes from the 19th Century – Ireland’s golden era of whiskey distilling. While honouring the past, Bernard and Rosemary also introduce truly innovative new expressions for contemporary palates in a modern era.
As whiskey creators, we work with a range of carefully selected partners to explore how different grains, whiskey styles and woods interact and contribute to taste over time – plenty of it! We seek-out the best styles and distillates in Ireland, as well as casks from the four corners of the world. When cask-hunting, we look for, not just those of the highest wood quality and barrel structure but, most importantly, the ones that have been seasoned with exceptional liquid.
Our journey has led us to:
Produce Irish whiskey’s first blends of premium Pot Still & Malt whiskeys – ‘the Champagne of Irish whiskey’ – in this new golden age of Irish Whiskey.
In 2008, create Irish whiskey’s first cask strength whiskey of the modern era.
Build the largest manually operated distillery in Ireland, uniquely distilling all 3 styles of Irish whiskey under one roof.
While we have divested from our own distillery, it is a significant milestone in our whiskey journey.
Craft the world’s first distillation of Organic Single Pot Still.
Explore and introduce a range of unprecedented cask finishes
in the Irish whiskey category.
As we continue our quest for the perfect drop, or Taoscán [Tash-cawn] as we say in Ireland, we hope you’ll join us on our journey!
Bernard and Rosemary Walsh
Our Portfolio
Award-Winning Whiskeys Crafted in Ireland
Writers' Tears
Copper Pot
Writers' Tears
Double Oak
Writers' Tears
Red Head
Writers’ Tears
Single Pot Still
Writers’ Tears
Cask Strength
Writers’ Tears
Japanese Cask
Writers’ Tears
Marsala Cask
Writers’ Tears
Inniskillin Icewine Cask
The Irishman
The Harvest
The Irishman
Single Malt
The Irishman
Caribbean Cask Finish
The Irishman
Single Malt 12-Year-Old
The Irishman
Single Malt 17-Year-Old
The Irishman
Cask Strength
Meet the team
Behind the whiskey
John Griffin
Managing Director / Purveyor of Spreadsheets
Born in the Bronx, New York City, but raised in Ireland’s mighty County Carlow, John is Walsh Whiskey’s Financial Director. He loves nothing more than creating a good spreadsheet, and his excel wizardry knows no bounds.
Aside from controlling the purse-strings of Walsh Whiskey, John has the enviable task of overseeing our entire supply chain, which includes production and stock control of our premium and super premium liquid.
Geraldine Donoghue
Production Manager / The Original
Geraldine is an original - Walsh Whiskey employee number 0001. Like Bernard, she has covered all the bases across the years, and always with an enthusiasm and energy matched by none.
Now Geraldine literally keeps our whiskey business flowing as she co-ordinates both production and stock control for our expanding global network. Not afraid to roll her sleeves up when needed, Ger can be seen travelling the country in her trusty turbo-boosted Walsh Whiskey van.
Miriam Dempsey
Logistics Manager / Central Command
Miriam is always to be seen with Google Maps to hand as she oversees shipments of our Writers’ Tears and The Irishman whiskeys to over 50 countries the world over.
Our customers depend on Miriam to get our whiskeys to them regardless of major weather events, trade wars, strikes or military coups! Come what may, Miriam always delivers.
Mary Daly
Accounts Technician / The Countess
2006 is a milestone year in the history of Walsh Whiskey, not just because it marks the birth of The Irishman, but also Carlow native Mary joined the team that fateful year.
Mary is a vital cog in the wheel of Walsh Whiskey and looks after the other liquidity vital to our business.. The cash! All money-in and money-out passes Mary’s desk, but only once all the paperwork is in order!
Emily O’Reilly
Administration / Gatekeeper to the Kingdom
If you want to meet, see or speak with any of the rest of us – then you start with Emily, the smiling face of Walsh Whiskey!
Emily is the heartbeat of our team who will always do her level best to help you with your enquiry. She also goes out of her way to help her colleagues whenever needed. Emily is also responsible for fattening the team with her delicious home baking!
Lena Canning
Brand Executive / Whiskey Guru
Visitors to Ireland have many things to look forward to when holidaying on our shores, but for whiskey enthusiasts it’s the chat with Lena on their return voyage through Dublin Airport that is sure to be the highlight.
Lena loves whiskey and meeting people so much that introducing thousands of people to Writers’ Tears and The Irishman all year round comes effortlessly to her.