Decade-old Irish whiskey puts on a new face

If you begin seeing ads for "new" Clontarf Irish Whiskey, don't be confused.

The brand has been around for a decade. "The New Irish" refers to a new marketing and packaging campaign created by brand owner Castle Brands Inc.

The new proprietary bottle now has a black label trimmed in gold for Clontarf Classic Blend and a complementary black and cream label trimmed in gold for Clontarf Single Malt. The label also includes a new graphic element—a stylized warrior mask. The “face” of the mask resembles a shield with a single grain of barley as the “eye.” The mask is topped by castle crenellations, evocative of Clontarf Castle which still stands -- although now as a 4-star hotel -- in the area where the legendary Irish warrior king Brian Boru had his most famous battle, in A.D. 1014.

“The first of the millennial generation" -- those born between 1980 and 2000 -- "are in their late 20s now, and are getting tired of fruit-juice cocktails. Irish whiskey, with its very approachable flavor profile, is new again and is a natural next step,” said Roseann Sessa, head of marketing and public relations for Castle Brands.

“Clontarf is not their father’s whiskey. The brand was ‘born’ in 1998 and is therefore itself part of the millennial generation.”

Castle Brands is a developer and international marketer of premium branded spirits in the vodka, rum, whiskey and liqueurs categories. Its portfolio includes Boru Vodka, Gosling’s Rum and Celtic Crossing Liqueur.

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.