AN Irish whiskey brand ruffled a few feathers in the bartending scene at its Scottish launch late last month.
Bartenders were pitted against each other in a cocktail competition to mark the introduction of The Wild Geese by distributor Emopria Brands.
Alistair Kelsey of Glasgow bar Booly Mardy’s created the winning cocktail, Popcorn: a shot and a half of The Wild Geese Rare Irish whiskey combined with 10ml of Amaretto Saliza, 15ml of Briottet Creme de Noisette and two pinches of sea salt.
The contest took place in Glasgow’s Bath Street Pony bar after a presentation by The Wild Geese brand ambassador Nick Wykes and Ed Baird, Scottish agency sales manager at Emporia Brands, which highlighted the versatility and mixability of the whiskey range. The collection includes Classic Blend, Rare Irish, Single Malt and Limited Edition.
“Irish whiskey is softer and more approachable than Scotch,” said Wykes.
“I think there’s an element in the UK of people feeling they have to get stuck into big peaty Islay malts straight away but if they start with Irish whiskey it’s more approachable and they can start to pick up those flavours.
“With The Wild Geese there’s a real versatility for people to work with in a creative way. If you stick it in the hands of a good bartender there are huge opportunities.”
Image: Winning mix: Alistair Kelsey won the contest.
