LONDON, March 29, 2022 - The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has been crowned World's Best Irish Single Malt across all categories at The World Whiskies Awards with its inaugural release, The Devil's Keep.
The industry's finest gathered together at the Honourable Artillery Company in London on Thursday, 24 March to celebrate the 2022 Whisky Magazine Awards. Returning to London as an in-person event, the global awards ceremony saw the announcement of the World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky global winners, as well as four new inductees to Whisky Magazine's renowned Hall of Fame. The Whisky Magazine Awards seek to honour the very best in the industry, across its people, places and products.
The Devil's Keep beat off stiff competition from five other Irish Single Malt whiskeys across five different categories including Teeling Whiskey 30 Years Old Single Malt in the 21 years and over category, Knappogue Castle 12 Years Old in the Single Malt 12 years and under, Teeling Whiskey Brabazon Series 4 in the Single Malt 13-20 year category, Clonakilty Distillery O'Hara's Cask Finish Special Limited Edition in the Small Batch Single Malt category and The Irishman 17 Years Old in the Single Cask Single Malt 13-20 years category.
Jay Bradley, Founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., is a true student of whiskey and spent years researching the chemistry of what separates good from great in the category. Resting in the cask, the liquid is a living, breathing organism which peaks and troughs repeatedly through the year. A standout whiskey, he found, isn't determined by an arbitrary measurement of age. It's arrived at only by quality cooperage and precise organoleptic observation. With The Devil's Keep, Bradley would carefully pull samples each day as the expression matured in a finish of fine Hungarian Oak. Ultimately, he opted to bottle it at 29.9 years–just shy of a coveted 30 year age statement–because from a taste perspective he knew the time was right.
Commenting after being crowned winner of Best Single Malt across all categories in Ireland, Jay Bradley, Founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said: "I am ecstatic and equally humbled that The Devil's Keep was crowned World's Best Irish Single Malt, beating some fantastic competition including two stellar whiskeys from the Teeling stable. For the first whiskey we ever entered to go on to be crowned best single malt in all of Ireland in year one–that's unheard of and an amazing achievement. After years of research devoted to building more flavour into our whiskeys, The Devil's Keep is the culmination. And this accolade reinforces to me that what we are doing is working and that the critics and experts are enjoying what we are creating. We have so much more to do and winning this award makes me hungrier than ever to keep this momentum going and to bottle more phenomenal whiskeys."
This is the ninth award for The Devil's Keep 2020 Inaugural Edition, a rare triple distilled, Single Malt whiskey and one of the finest whiskeys that Ireland has ever created. The launch of The Devil's Keep in November 2020 saw just 333 bottles released. It was the most expensive inaugural first release in history, selling at auction for USD $60,000 (almost £46,000 and €51,000 Euros), and the oldest triple distilled Irish whiskey in existence, only to be topped by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.'s second release in February 2021 of the 30-year-old The Emerald Isle Collection.
Amongst its other accolades is a Gold award from the world-renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2021 and a Gold from the Global Luxury Spirit Masters 2021.
The 2022 Second Edition release of The Devil's Keep is due very soon but The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. only releases a whiskey when it has reached perfection in the barrel, so the number of bottles and date of release is still to be determined. As with all of the company's rare releases, this second edition will be available to loyal clients before being released to the general public.
For something truly special, Bottle number 88 of the 2020 Inaugural Edition of The Devil's Keep will be auctioned at Bonhams on 20 May 2022.
For more information on The Devil's Keep and other whiskeys from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com
Click here for supporting imagery of Jay Bradley (Founder & CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.& Ian Duignan (Managing Director) as well as some imagery of The Devil's Keep
Interviews with Jay Bradley available on request
For further information, please contact:
Sharon McHugh – sharon@craftirishwhiskey.com / +44 7881 248 215
About The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is on a mission to reinvent Irish whiskey, elevating its potential as a luxury product and restoring Ireland's reputation for crafting the finest whiskeys in the world.
Formed in 2018 by Irish entrepreneur Jay Bradley, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. was born from a desire to return Irish whiskey to the heights it once enjoyed. To achieve such a goal has taken a complete reimagining of the craft; honouring centuries of tradition but questioning convention and adding scientific understanding to reinvent the maturation of the whiskey. No expense is spared, no corners are cut.
To elevate Irish whiskey's potential, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has looked to the past, revisiting the art of whiskey-making perfected by the country's master distillers. While the rise of mass production and blends has pushed this art to one side, the company is invested in restoring it by adding scientific knowledge and a willingness to push boundaries. Underfilling the barrels allows maturation to start at once. Adding water before maturation, or before finishing, allows the water and whiskey to marry over time and avoids the need to dilute the single malt before bottling. The whiskeys are bottled at cask strength to preserve the complex flavour profiles and rich viscosity. Using ultra-premium finishing barrels to mature the single malt delivers rich, rounded notes, while a deep understanding of barrel craft ensures the barrels are moved, rotated and the whiskey disgorged into new ones to create a bespoke journey. The whiskeys are accompanied by skilfully designed and scientifically-perfected accessories that deliver a whiskey experience worthy of the liquid.
In 2021, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. became the most awarded new company of the year amassing a total of seventeen awards across both Taste and Design for four of its ultra-rare whiskey releases.
The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is the exclusive Michelin Plaque Distribution Partner for The Michelin Guide Star Revelation Great Britain and Ireland 2022.
For more information visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com
The Devil's Keep - Tasting Notes
Colour:
1.4 Tawny
Characterised by its distinctive tawny, amber colour
Nose:
The Devil's Keep opens with a nose of the rich aromas of a traditional Christmas cake and Vermont maple syrup, followed by powerful notes of ripe banana, sherry-soaked raisins and hints of 70% dark chocolate adding depth.
Palate:
The sweetness of golden honey combines with Amarone and accents of dark cherries to add a velvet softness balanced beautifully by a dusting of rich dark chocolate to round off the palate. Rich and warming yet fresh and well-balanced, with supple sweetness and a rich texture.
Finish:
Beautifully constructed, long and viscous with remanence of maple syrup and chocolate which opens up the liquid to a fine balance of smooth and rich flavours. Rich and oily on the palate, but not overwhelmingly so, and underpinned with a slightly dry finish, providing an indulgent and inimitable taste that will remain on the taste buds.
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