I’m no spirits expert, but I have always been fascinated by the history and lore surrounding our uisce beatha. In Ireland and Scotland, the story of whiskey goes back to the turn of the first millennium, when Christian monks introduced distilling techniques along with their religious teachings.
When Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived in North America, they brought their distilling traditions with them and the North American variants of whiskey were borne.
No two whiskeys are the same and that’s part of the fun of imbibing. Today, we see plenty of new whiskeys on the market and many are rating highly among experts (including some exciting Japanese varieties). That said, it’s difficult to match traditional Irish whiskey and Scotch brands. They have stood the test of time for good reason.
Master distiller
Someone who respects the tradition of old-world whiskey while embracing the new is Cork native Brian Nation. Now 24 years in the whiskey industry, he says it was equal parts luck, passion and having a naturally good palate which led him to become a master distiller – a title few others can claim.
“It started by pure accident,” he says. “My background was in chemical and process engineering. The expectation there would be you’d work in pharmaceuticals or oil refining. I briefly worked in both areas, but couldn’t say I really enjoyed them. Then, an opportunity came along for me to join Midleton Distillery as an environmental engineer. That was back in 1997.
“I had an aptitude for whiskey tasting, and also did some brewing and distilling exams,” he continues. “I was fortunate to have a great relationship with [former Midleton master distiller] Barry Crockett and worked under Barry for about 11 years before taking over in 2013, when he retired.”
New venture
Brian never planned to leave Cork or the Midleton Distillery – he loved the work he was doing there – but then he met American entrepreneur, Patrick O’Shaughnessy. A native of Minnesota, it’s also obvious that his family’s heritage is strongly rooted in Ireland.
“We came from the Gort area of Co Galway,” he tells Irish Country Living. “Our family emigrated in the latter part of the famine and settled in Minnesota.”
In early April, Brian Nation (far left) and Patrick O'Shaughnessy launched their Keeper's Heart line of blended Irish-American whiskeys in Ireland
Patrick reached out to Brian online to chat about whisky and the pair hit it off; becoming instant friends. After much thought, Brian and his wife decided to take a chance and move to the United States. There, he would apply his skillset to the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company in Minneapolis, which is owned by Patrick and his cousin, Michael O’Shaughnessy.
Family affair
The idea for the family-run distillery started at a pre-COVID O’Shaughnessy get-together, when Patrick and several family members were having a drink. Someone mentioned that it might be interesting to start a whiskey brand of their own, in honour of their family’s Irish heritage.
“There was a real spark to this idea [to start making whiskey], and we had a desire to learn more,” he explains. “We became fascinated with the history that Irish whiskey holds. Pre-prohibition, 80% of the whiskey in the world was coming from Ireland. Fast forward to today and it’s in a renaissance. Between its iconic past and where it’s heading today, we just got really excited about that.”
“[Patrick then] reached out to me in 2019 and spoke about this opportunity to build a distillery where you could bring the best of both American and Irish distilling traditions together,” Brian says. “In August 2021, my wife and I made the final move with our three kids to St Paul [Twin Cities, with Minneapolis]. When you make a move like that with your kids you’re always a bit concerned, but it has worked out really well.”
Keeper’s Heart
They have since launched their line of Irish-American whiskeys, called Keeper’s Heart. It is comprised of two blend whiskeys: their Keeper’s Heart Irish + American, which combines Irish single pot still and single grain whiskeys with American rye whiskey, and their Irish + Bourbon, which is blended with American bourbon. They are also producing and maturing triple-pot distilled whiskeys in the traditional Irish style, which will be released over the coming years.
At the O'Shaugnessy Distilling Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are producing and maturing triple pot distilled whiskeys in the Irish style. They will be released in the coming years
“That hasn’t really been done before,” Patrick says about their blended whiskeys. “You get the smooth, velvety texture of an Irish whiskey with the more robust flavour of an American bourbon – or the spiciness of a rye.”
“We were fortunate to build a relationship with Great Northern Distillery in Ireland, where we source our four-year-old pot still and grain whiskeys,” Brian adds. “Then, on the American whiskey side, we source our four-year-old rye and four-year-old bourbon from a company called MGP in Indiana. We take these components – the Irish and the American – and blend them into something really special.”
Their Irish + American was the most awarded new whiskey brand in 2022, picking up several distinctions, including a Platinum ranking in the International Wine and Spirits Challenge. In April, 2023, Keeper’s Heart was launched in Ireland and can now be found in off-licenses, hotels and bars throughout the country.
See keepersheartwhiskey.com
Read more
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I’m no spirits expert, but I have always been fascinated by the history and lore surrounding our uisce beatha. In Ireland and Scotland, the story of whiskey goes back to the turn of the first millennium, when Christian monks introduced distilling techniques along with their religious teachings.
When Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived in North America, they brought their distilling traditions with them and the North American variants of whiskey were borne.
No two whiskeys are the same and that’s part of the fun of imbibing. Today, we see plenty of new whiskeys on the market and many are rating highly among experts (including some exciting Japanese varieties). That said, it’s difficult to match traditional Irish whiskey and Scotch brands. They have stood the test of time for good reason.
Master distiller
Someone who respects the tradition of old-world whiskey while embracing the new is Cork native Brian Nation. Now 24 years in the whiskey industry, he says it was equal parts luck, passion and having a naturally good palate which led him to become a master distiller – a title few others can claim.
“It started by pure accident,” he says. “My background was in chemical and process engineering. The expectation there would be you’d work in pharmaceuticals or oil refining. I briefly worked in both areas, but couldn’t say I really enjoyed them. Then, an opportunity came along for me to join Midleton Distillery as an environmental engineer. That was back in 1997.
“I had an aptitude for whiskey tasting, and also did some brewing and distilling exams,” he continues. “I was fortunate to have a great relationship with [former Midleton master distiller] Barry Crockett and worked under Barry for about 11 years before taking over in 2013, when he retired.”
New venture
Brian never planned to leave Cork or the Midleton Distillery – he loved the work he was doing there – but then he met American entrepreneur, Patrick O’Shaughnessy. A native of Minnesota, it’s also obvious that his family’s heritage is strongly rooted in Ireland.
“We came from the Gort area of Co Galway,” he tells Irish Country Living. “Our family emigrated in the latter part of the famine and settled in Minnesota.”
In early April, Brian Nation (far left) and Patrick O'Shaughnessy launched their Keeper's Heart line of blended Irish-American whiskeys in Ireland
Patrick reached out to Brian online to chat about whisky and the pair hit it off; becoming instant friends. After much thought, Brian and his wife decided to take a chance and move to the United States. There, he would apply his skillset to the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company in Minneapolis, which is owned by Patrick and his cousin, Michael O’Shaughnessy.
Family affair
The idea for the family-run distillery started at a pre-COVID O’Shaughnessy get-together, when Patrick and several family members were having a drink. Someone mentioned that it might be interesting to start a whiskey brand of their own, in honour of their family’s Irish heritage.
“There was a real spark to this idea [to start making whiskey], and we had a desire to learn more,” he explains. “We became fascinated with the history that Irish whiskey holds. Pre-prohibition, 80% of the whiskey in the world was coming from Ireland. Fast forward to today and it’s in a renaissance. Between its iconic past and where it’s heading today, we just got really excited about that.”
“[Patrick then] reached out to me in 2019 and spoke about this opportunity to build a distillery where you could bring the best of both American and Irish distilling traditions together,” Brian says. “In August 2021, my wife and I made the final move with our three kids to St Paul [Twin Cities, with Minneapolis]. When you make a move like that with your kids you’re always a bit concerned, but it has worked out really well.”
Keeper’s Heart
They have since launched their line of Irish-American whiskeys, called Keeper’s Heart. It is comprised of two blend whiskeys: their Keeper’s Heart Irish + American, which combines Irish single pot still and single grain whiskeys with American rye whiskey, and their Irish + Bourbon, which is blended with American bourbon. They are also producing and maturing triple-pot distilled whiskeys in the traditional Irish style, which will be released over the coming years.
At the O'Shaugnessy Distilling Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are producing and maturing triple pot distilled whiskeys in the Irish style. They will be released in the coming years
“That hasn’t really been done before,” Patrick says about their blended whiskeys. “You get the smooth, velvety texture of an Irish whiskey with the more robust flavour of an American bourbon – or the spiciness of a rye.”
“We were fortunate to build a relationship with Great Northern Distillery in Ireland, where we source our four-year-old pot still and grain whiskeys,” Brian adds. “Then, on the American whiskey side, we source our four-year-old rye and four-year-old bourbon from a company called MGP in Indiana. We take these components – the Irish and the American – and blend them into something really special.”
Their Irish + American was the most awarded new whiskey brand in 2022, picking up several distinctions, including a Platinum ranking in the International Wine and Spirits Challenge. In April, 2023, Keeper’s Heart was launched in Ireland and can now be found in off-licenses, hotels and bars throughout the country.
See keepersheartwhiskey.com
Read more
Irish Distillers pairs up with Heineken to promote regenerative agriculture
First 100%-Irish rye whiskey launched
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