The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey Is The Start of Something Fresh In Ireland

It’s tough to find where to start when it comes to this story. So, I’m just going to start at the beginning.

The Dead Rabbits were a rough and tumble gang of New York City in the 1850s, made up of tough Irishmen who came over from Ireland to start a new life in America. Violence, crimes, intimidation, strength and Irish pride filled the streets back then as people were fighting for respect and territory at the same time.

Fast forward 200 years, comes two gents who had a dream, a song in their heart, a rich heritage to work with and a new bar space in New York City. The two gents were Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry and they started the bar, The Dead Rabbit, as a homage to a time of turmoil and stature of the Irish people in New York City at the time. They opened their bar and a few years later, not only it was rated the number one bar in New York City. However, in 2018, their bar faced another challenge and in summer 2018 experienced a fire that burned the bar down. Determined, Muldoon and McGarry are now opening another Dead Rabbit in New York City, twice the size of the first one.

Overseas in Ireland, the story continues with another Irish gentleman in Ireland working as a master blender for over 15 years, helping regenerate the Irish Whiskey industry. That man is Darryl McNally, the master blender for  The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey. You see the bridge forming? That’s a partnership of Dublin dreams, an Irish bar and Irish Whiskey playing homage to the same group of tough Irish blood. Well, it wasn’t too long after that the two parties partnered up.

Instead of having celebrities, notable faces and people who you aren’t sure if they even drink their product after the camera light goes off, you have a partnership from the ground up, that just, makes, sense.

The American-Irish connection is strong with not only the bar owners but the Irish Whiskey itself. The Irish Whiskey is made in a very interesting way, a hybrid of both American Bourbon and Irish Whiskey. This brings the best of both worlds and creates a really interesting result. The whiskey itself is created in virgin American oak barrels which give you those softer tones of vanilla and a smoother finish.

It’s a great continental mixture and bridge between two favourable spirits that expands their reach to be comparable to two different markets in both North America and Europe.

The Taste Test

We had the privilege to meet and sit down for a tasting with Darryl McNally to talk about the beginnings, the Dublin expansion, and the origin story. I was one among the first to try the Irish Whiskey in Canada and it was a great tasting experience.

The Irish Whiskey upon first taste fills your mouth up with a nice spiced aroma to prime your palette for the rest. The first taste is a bit sharper but the flavours fill up your mouth and if you like a sharper whiskey with a wee bit of bite, then it’s a great open for you.

It’s not harsh enough that you can actually mix it well with others. It would be a fun challenge for living room or professional bartenders to get a hold of this to see what you can do with it.

Irish whiskey has taken a bit of a hit when over the last century. At one point, there were over 100 distilleries and then after many impactful despairs with wars, famines and hardships economically, it almost wiped out the entire lot. Now, with The Dead Rabbit building a new distillery and Irish Whiskey becoming more popular amongst spirited drinkers, it looks like Irish Whiskey is in a renaissance period, where we are going to see a big recovery and new age of distilleries and interesting flavours coming out of Ireland.

The Bottom Line

The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey is the start of something exciting and comes along with it a lot of heritage and a lot of appreciation for that heritage by many involved. The fact that you have one of the best bars in the world as a foundational element, mixed with the knowledge and experience of Darryl McNally as a master distiller, brings a very exciting new time for Irish Whiskey. We are happy that The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey has made it into our city and it’s going to be rolling out across the province of Ontario. Order online or check with your nearest store shelves for your bottle.

For more information about The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey, be sure to visit their website, learn more about their story and try it for yourself before the masses do. Now is your chance to be a trendsetter.

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