Brown-Forman’s Slane Irish Whiskey Comes Ashore In US

Slane Irish Whiskey, a brand owned by American spirits company Brown-Forman and the Conyngham family of Slane, Ireland, is an attempt by the former to enter into the burgeoning Irish whiskey market. The two partnered up back in 2015 to develop the product at a time when the Conynghams were looking to start their own distillery as an additional revenue source. Now their first product has come to market both overseas and here in the US.

As we explored when we visited Slane earlier this year on a media trip, this whiskey is not actually produced by the family at this point, but rather sourced from other undisclosed distilleries. That being said, the final product does follow a formula developed by the owners as they move towards their own in-house offering years from now. What you have here for now is a non-age statement expression that includes single malt and single grain whiskeys which have been brought together into three distinct cask types for additional maturation:

• Heavily toasted, lightly charred virgin oak from Brown-Forman’s cooperages lends toasted oak, vanilla and chocolate notes
• Seasoned oak that formerly held American whiskey imbues flavors of caramel, plum, butterscotch and banana
• Oloroso Sherry casks from Spain impart notes of raisin, spice and tree nuts

All of these were blended together, packaged into a black bottle and let loose into the market as a 40% ABV whiskey priced around $30. You’ll find official tasting notes for it below and, as for where it is available, you can find it in limited markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific Northwest and the West Coast.

“Slane Irish Whiskey is a new way of approaching our country’s national spirit and we are delighted to bring it to the American market,” said Alex Conyngham, Co-Founder of Slane Irish Whiskey, in a prepared statement. “Our Triple Casked maturation process enhances the quality and complexity of the whiskey. We aim to create a lasting legacy for Brown-Forman and the Conyngham family and a worthy addition to the fast growing Irish whiskey category.”