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Newry is now once again home to a bonded whiskey warehouse. The 6000 sq. ft facility, picked due to Newry being an ideal location between Dublin and Belfast will supply a global whiskey market.
Irish Craft Beverages (ICB), a successful and enterprising producer and exporter of Irish whiskey, other spirits and beers, has set up its headquarters in Newry and has invested in a substantial facility for blending, bonding and international marketing of all its products.
The launch of the new facility coincided with the small company’s outstanding success last week in winning gold in the influential London Spirits Competition for its game changing Dram in a Can and silver for its Blender’s Cut Irish whiskeys, both of which are being marketed worldwide under Two Stacks, a fast developing brand.
Shane McCarthy, ICB managing director, says the new bonded whiskey warehouse, which will also be branded under Two Stacks, is the first of its kind in Newry in over a century.
“It’s a major stepping stone for Two Stacks to choose Newry as its city of choice. The location offers major benefits for us as an ideal location between Belfast and Dublin, offering access to a thriving population and a prosperous future ahead of it with lots of technology companies headquartered here in Newry. There’s also a new infrastructure investment coming to the city in the short-term,” adds Shane, who runs the business with directors Liam Brogan and Donal McLynn.
The expansion, he continues, has come off the back of the success of the Two Stacks Irish whiskey range in global markets, expanding to over 20 countries in the past 12 months. “We’ve just signed a substantial deal in Australia and have identified other opportunities for us in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the US, Canada, India and South Africa. Invest NI’s trade support helped us to win the business in Australia and the US,” he says
The revolutionary Dram in A Can, the first-ever handy canned whiskey which has attracted endorsement from expert judges in the London Spirits Competition, had been picked up by Woolworths in Australia, Qatar Duty-Free, Total Wine and More and Wholefoods in the US. Dram in a Can had also been acclaimed by influential publications in the US.
The new enterprise will see Two Stacks becoming one of the largest whiskey bonders and blenders in Ireland, working with a handful of top distilleries and breweries “to continue bringing unique and innovative spirit products into the world of whiskies”, Shane says.
“The new warehouse is completely self-sufficient, running off renewable solar panels, with all-electric machinery on-site, and electric car chargers for the staff,” he adds.
Two Stacks will continue to develop collaborative projects with other distilleries in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The company, for instance, has a longstanding relationship with Killowen Distillery in the Mournes, which has influenced the development of some highly original small batch whiskeys using historic pot still techniques
Shane expects the new investment in Newry to lead to employment opportunities in the near future. A new canning line for Dram in a Can is being installed and is the first of its kind in Europe for the distinctive Two Stacks 100ml cans.
Two Stacks Irish Whiskey is the outcome of an ICB drive to revive the tradition of independent bonding, blending, and bottling on the island of Ireland. “Where once many towns and cities and even villages across Ireland had merchants, grocers, and public houses developing their own unique expressions of whiskey very few now have.
“The craft of whiskey bonding and blending in Ireland virtually disappeared as the artisan industry declined throughout the 20th century. We are reviving this rich heritage and showcasing how uniquely brilliant Irish whiskey can be through our blends, finishes and cask strength offerings,” Shane adds.
He continues: “Every release from Two Stacks is different to the one before. Each handcrafted expression is carefully sourced, managed, finished, blended or matured here from different distilleries across Ireland.
“In an age of increasing automation in the drinks industry, Two Stacks relies on traditional techniques that have earmarked high-quality whiskey distilling for more than 100 years – from determining timing through taste and nose while in cask to manually disgorging casks and hand labelling each bottle,” he adds.
Two Stacks gained its first international award at World Whiskies 2021 for its blended First Cut, which first went on sale late last year. The company has since won acclaim for its creation of distinctive and limited edition whiskeys from unique casks sourced from around the world.
An excellent example of this focus in the first whiskey in the company’s Polaris Collection, a limited edition release at a premium price, launched successfully in the year. This is a 9-year old Irish single malt aged in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel before a final six-month finish in ex-Cabernet Franc Red Ice Wine cask from the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada.
Check out their website at TWOSTACKSWHISKEY.COM
