The Irishman range of Irish whiskeys produced by Walsh Whiskey (newly acquired as a part of the Amber Beverage Group) has announced a full range rebrand including a bespoke bottle and braille for the visually impaired.
This half million Euro rebrand, which sees wholesale changes to The Irishman’s bottle, labelling and packaging, apparently follows a new strategic review of the brand which commenced in April 2020. Walsh Whiskey was assisted in the review by Bord Bia’s specialist Insight Centre – The Thinking House. The extensive design project was undertaken by HERE Design agency in London.
Walsh Whiskey is investing €500,000 in the rebranding between research, commissioning a new bottle design, brand redesign, packaging production and a range of marketing initiatives. The rebrand will support the whiskey brand’s target of doubling sales across its 50+ markets within five years.
Announcing the renewed focus on single malt and the brand redesign, Walsh Whiskey founder Bernard Walsh said: “As the Irish whiskey category continues to develop with increasing variety, it is important that we are clear in our proposition to whiskey consumers. Our message is simple: The Irishman will always be single malt focused – whether championed in pure expressions or blends – and that it will always be triple distilled to leave a lasting impression.”
The new packaging boasts an engraved cork topper for all whole range sitting atop the bespoke bottle which Walsh Whiskey explain, has strong whiskey cues, including broad ‘shoulders’ and a tapered base. The lower half of the bottle beneath the label features a series of embossed phrases that are supposed to capture the essence of The Irishman’s focus and purpose, which is ‘to pursue a lifelong journey in search of the perfect dram/ taoscán of single malt, while respecting past traditions and with ambition for future possibilities’.
Other unique and notable features of the new labels are the addition of braille for the visually impaired and nutritional and calorific information on e-labels positioned on back of pack and online. The braille highlighting The Irishman’s brand name, is also a personal tribute by Bernard Walsh to the memory of his own grandfather, Jack Walsh, whose loss of vision made a lasting impression on his grandson.
The Irishman rebrand launches in Ireland (including Dublin Airport) on the 3rd of February, before rolling out across Europe and Canada from April onwards, the United States in the Summer and the rest of the world in the second half of 2022.
There are also changes to the composition of the range, with a change of name for one core expression and the addition of a limited edition to the core of the portfolio.
“The Founder’s Reserve blend (70% Single Malt & 30% Pot Still) has been renamed The Harvest. This expression, a truly unique blend of two premium styles of whiskey, started life as the first ever whiskey created by Walsh Whiskey’s Founder. The renaming of this core expression as The Harvest honours the great contribution of the farming community in the whiskey-making process. The whiskey is crafted entirely from a mash bill of 100% Irish barley.“
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