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Dingle’s Dick Mack’s does it again

Dick Mack’s in Dingle has done it again in winning the Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year at last night’s Irish Whiskey Awards hosted by Slane Irish Whiskey in Slane Castle, County Meath.

 

This was nearly the fourth consecutive win for the pub, having only missed out to worthy opponents Garavan’s Bar in Galway last year.

Irish Distillers won the Best Irish Whiskey of the Year with Redbreast 12 Year-Old Cask Strength as well as picking up medals for the Barry Crockett Legacy (Best Single Pot Still Whiskey), Jameson 18 Year-Old Bow Street (Best Irish Blended Whiskey RRP of €60 or more) and several gold medals.

Redbreast 12 Year-Old Cask Strength has also been awarded ‘Best Irish Whiskey overall’ and ‘Best Irish Pot Still Whiskey’ in Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2019, providing the brand with its sixth award in seven years there.

Both emerging as well as established Irish whiskey distillers and producers celebrated wins at the awards last night as the 2018 Irish Whiskey Awards revealed Ireland’s top distillers and top whiskey bars as well as the international whiskey bar of the year.

The evening commenced with a tour of Slane Irish Whiskey’s new state-of-the-art distillery, hosted by Co-Founders Alex Conyngham and his father Lord Henry Mountcharles.

Keynote speaker, Global Brand Ambassador for the Tullamore Dew Distillery and Irish whiskey veteran John Quinn presented the awards.

John was named Whiskey Brand Ambassador of the Year by Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Awards in 2016 while The Spirits Business pronounced him one of the Top 10 most influential people in Irish whiskey in 2016.

In a year that saw tremendous growth in Irish whiskey sales around the world he nevertheless reminded those present that Irish whiskey, with sales of 10 million cases, still had a considerable way to go before catching up with Scotch which sells 90 million cases worldwide, or US whiskeys which sold some 45 million or Canadian whiskey (20 million) or even Japanese whiskey on 12 million cases globally.

The rise of 3.3 million cases in Irish whiskey in the past 18 months was mostly accounted for by Jameson which took 3.1 million case-sales of this figure, he said.

The awards, now in their sixth year, span over 20 categories judged in blind tasting sessions by members of the Celtic Whiskey Club, Irish Whiskey Society and Cork Whiskey Society. This year also welcomed the participation of the Galway Whiskey Trail and Kilkenny Whiskey Guild. Overseas members of the Celtic Whiskey Club also had the opportunity to purchase sample packs without having to travel to the Emerald Isle. Whilst the other spirit categories, as well as the beer and liqueur categories were judged by members of the trade.

The rundown of the winners of the 2018 Irish Whiskey Awards is as follows:

 

Overall Winners

Best Irish Whiskey of the Year – Redbreast 12 Year-Old Cask Strength

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year – Dick Mack’s, Dingle

 

Categories

Best Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey – Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy

Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger) – Tyrconnell 10 Year-Old Port Finish

Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (13 Years & Older) – JJ Corry The Flintloch 16 Year-Old

Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60) – Teeling Small Batch

Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of €60 or more) – Jameson 18-Year Old Bow Street

Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey – The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Cask Finish

Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey – Redbreast 12 Year-Old Cask Strength

Best Irish Single Grain WhiskeyKilbeggan Single Grain

Best New Irish Whiskey – Dingle Single Malt Batch 3

 

Best Irish GinDingle Gin

Best Irish Vodka – Ballykeefe Artisan Irish Vodka

Best Irish Poitín Bán Poitín

Best Irish Liqueur – The Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur

Best Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Craft BeerDingle Dark Star Ale

 

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Leinster) – The Dylan Whisky Bar, Kilkenny

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Munster) – Dick Mack’s, Dingle

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Connacht) Garavan’s, Galway

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Ulster) – The Duke of York, Belfast

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (International)The Dead Rabbit, New York

 

The Irish Whiskey Awards were founded by The Celtic Whiskey Shop, the same company that hosts Whiskey Live Dublin and Gin Experience Dublin.

“The Irish Whiskey Awards has become such an important date in the Irish events calendar,” said Managing Director Ally Alpine, “and we’re delighted to run it to raise funds for the very deserving charity Mary’s Meals.”

Mary’s Meals feeds over one million children every day whilst ensuring they attend school.

Tickets for the event were priced at €50 and all proceeds from the night will be donated to sponsor the Kapatomoyo School in Zambia — €10951.20 will be required yearly to feed 702 pupils.

Drinks Industry Ireland was the event’s media partner.

 

Irish Whiskey Awards & Gold Medal 2018 Winners:

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Leinster)

  • Winner: The Dylan Whisky Bar, Kilkenny
  • Gold Medal: The Dingle Whiskey Bar, Dublin
  • Gold Medal: Bowe’s, Dublin

 

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Munster)

  • Winner: Dick Mack’s, Dingle
  • Gold Medal: John Bennys Pub, Dingle
  • Gold Medal: The Folk House, Kinsale

 

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Connacht)

  • Winner: Garavan’s, Galway
  • Gold Medal: The 1852 Whiskey Bar at The Skeffington Arms Hotel, Galway
  • Gold Medal: Tig Neactain’s, Galway

 

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (Ulster)

  • Winner: The Duke of York, Belfast
  • Gold Medal: Bittle’s Bar, Belfast
  • Gold Medal: Fealty’s Bar, Bangor

 

Best Irish Whiskey Bar of the Year (International)

  • Winner: The Dead Rabbit, New York
  • Gold Medal: Seamus O’Dowden’s Irish Pub & Shebeen, Vermont
  • Gold Medal: Patrick’s Bar, Paris

 

Best Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey

  • Winner: Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy
  • Gold Medal: Redbreast 21 Year-Old
  • Gold Medal: Yellow Spot 12 Year-Old

 

Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (12 Years & Younger)

  • Winner: Tyrconnell 10 Year-Old Port Finish
  • Gold Medal: Dunville’s PX Cask 12 Year-Old
  • Gold Medal: Connemara 12 Year-Old

 

Best Irish Single Malt Whiskey (13 Years & Older)

  • Winner: JJ Corry The Flintloch 16 Year-Old
  • Gold Medal: Method & Madness Single Malt French Limousin Oak Finish
  • Gold Medal: Retronaut 17 Year-Old

 

Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of less than €60)

  • Winner: Teeling Small Batch
  • Gold Medal: Tullamore Dew 12 Year-Old
  • Gold Medal: Powers Gold Label

 

Best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP of €60 or more)

  • Winner: Jameson 18 Year-Old Bow Street
  • Gold Medal: JJ Corry Bonders Blend 16 Year-Old Plus
  • Gold Medal: JJ Corry The Gael

 

Best Irish Single Cask Whiskey

  • Winner: The Irishman Founder’s Reserve Caribbean Cask Finish
  • Gold Medal: Dunville’s VR 17 Year-Old Port Mourant Rum Finish
  • Gold Medal: The Quiet Man 8 Year-Old Single Cask

 

Best Irish Cask Strength Whiskey

  • Winner: Redbreast 21 Year-Old Cask Strength
  • Gold Medal: The Whistler 7-Year Old Cask Strength
  • Gold Medal: Writers’ Tears Cask Strength 2018 Release

 

Best Irish Single Grain Whiskey

  • Winner: Kilbeggan Single Grain
  • Gold Medal: Teeling Single Grain
  • Gold Medal: Method & Madness Single Grain Virgin Spanish Oak Finish

 

Best New Irish Whiskey

  • Winner: Dingle Single Malt Batch 3
  • Gold Medal: Pearse 5 Year-Old Single Malt
  • Gold Medal: Kilbeggan Rye

 

Best Irish Gin

  • Winner: Dingle Gin
  • Gold Medal: Echlinville Single Estate Irish Pot Still Gin
  • Gold Medal: Jackford Irish Potato Gin

 

Best Irish Vodka

  • Winner: Ballykeefe Artisan Irish Vodka
  • Gold Medal: Dingle Vodka
  • Gold Medal: Straw Boys Vodka

 

Best Irish Poitín

  • Winner: Bán Poitín
  • Gold Medal: Tipperary Boutique Collection: Big Field Poitín
  • Gold Medal: Ballykeefe Poitín

 

Best Irish Liqueur

  • Winner: The Dubliner Irish Whiskey & Honeycomb Liqueur
  • Gold Medal: Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur
  • Gold Medal: Merrys White Chocolate Irish Cream Liqueur

 

Best Irish Whiskey Barrel-Aged Irish Craft Beer

  • Winner: Dingle Dark Star Ale
  • Gold Medal: DOT Brew D-IPA Double Down
  • Gold Medal: Pearse Lyons Imperial Stout Station Works Brewery

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