St Patrick’s Day is always a special one at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., and as people have come to expect, we don’t do things by halves any day of the year, let alone this one. So this year we marked our favourite day with not one, but two special events, as well as the momentous launch of our whiskeys in bars and restaurants across the country and the launch of The Taoscán to order through our website! 

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Plate Handicap Chase, The Cheltenham Festival

St Patrick’s Day marked the start of our sponsorship of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. This world-renowned event saw the Cheltenham specialist Coole Cody win his fourth race at the Home of Jump Racing and we were exceptionally proud to be able to present the jockey, trainer and owner with their trophies. 

The Festival was also the perfect opportunity to thank our dedicated team by taking them to the races so they could celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style after a busy week launching The Taoscán and hand-delivering it across the country.

A private tasting of The Taoscán at The Ned

But after a busy day of race-watching, it was on to the next celebration as we travelled back to London for a tasting of The Taoscán, exclusively for select media and members of The Ned Club. This event marked the very first time our whiskeys have been available by the glass at 5* establishments from London to Cork, and judging by the reactions and praise for The Taoscán, they’ll be a popular addition to the menu. 

After being welcomed by an Irish band, guests were led through a tasting of The Taoscán by our Director of Client Relations, Mo, before being treated to an exclusive performance by Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May. We were also joined by our newest partners, Hallstein Water who provided the water for the tasting. With some of the flavour compounds in whiskey trapped by spherical micelles, adding water can break open those micelles and free the full complexity of flavour. But too much water can dilute the ABV and rich notes so we’ve spent years researching and testing to find the perfect quantity. But once we’d determined the optimum amount, we needed to find a water with the balance of minerals and PH level to complement our whiskeys. 

So for the past few years we’ve been on a worldwide search for that water. And that search has led us to Hallstein Water. Hallstein originates from the Dachstein region in Austria and is the only water currently available on the market that is not pumped, filtered or treated, either chemically or mechanically. It’s a superior accompaniment, with a velvety taste that supports and complements our whiskey without compromising the palette due to its naturally high level of dissolved oxygen, high natural PH and its moderate levels of minerals. In our pursuit of perfection, only the finest water would do, and specifically, only the finest water with the perfect PH and mineral content. In Hallstein we’ve found that water. 

So as we look back on an extra special St Patrick’s Day, we’re raising a glass of The Taoscán to a day of special partnerships, momentous firsts and a giant leap forward in our mission to restore Irish whiskey’s reputation as a global leader.