Lambay Irish Whiskey America (LIWA) has announced it will be the exclusive importer of Lambay Irish Whiskey in the United States and throughout the Western Hemisphere. Lambay Irish Whiskey, owned and produced by Lambay Irish Whiskey Company (LIWC), is a premium Irish Whiskey that is independently sourced, master-blended and cognac-cask finished — and a collaboration between the Baring Family’s Revelstoke Trust, owners of Lambay Island, and Cognac-producer House of Camus. Newly formed LIWA will be led by spirits industry veteran Kevin Richard as CEO. Joining LIWA’s board is industry veteran and former chairman of WSWA J. Smoke Wallin.
The island of Lambay, just three miles off the coast of Dublin, Ireland, holds many tales of dynasty and curiosity, most importantly as the home of Lambay Irish Whiskey. This wildlife sanctuary has been owned by the Baring banking family since 1904, when Cecil Baring bought the island as a refuge to “escape from the gossip of London and New York society.” Lambay has a unique ecosystem and micro-climate, home to puffins, seabirds, wallabies, grey seals, deer, and a plethora of bees and butterflies of all shapes and colors, all thriving thanks to a lack of pollution, disturbance, and abundance of flora and fauna in this natural habitat. Originally a volcanic island, Lambay Island also has a natural water source, the Trinity Well, which provides fresh spring water to the products. This, along with the sea air and cognac casks, defines the distinctly sophisticated taste of the whiskey.
When Alexander Baring, 7th Baron of Revelstoke and Cyril Camus, the fifth generation of the Camus family, owners of House of Camus Cognac, partnered to create Lambay Irish Whiskey, the entrepreneurs were inspired to blend the unique maritime microclimate environment of the Baring ancestral home and the centuries-old experience of the Camus masters. The result is a unique range of Irish craft whiskies. Both men share a common bond for the love of nature, entrepreneurship and L’art de Vivre and collaborate on all aspects of the whiskey making process, combining the centuries-old blending and maturation skills of Camus and the unique environmental treasures of the island to produce their signature Lambay Irish whiskey-making process.
As Kevin Richards puts it, “Lambay Irish Whiskey is the one and only whiskey in the world with this deliciously complex and smooth taste – authenticity at its very best – a synergistic combination of centuries-old spirits crafting expertise and distinctive taste born from its maritime home environment.”
Lambay Irish Whiskey America will offer two craft Irish whiskey blends for sale – Lambay Whiskey Small Batch Blend and Lambay Whiskey Single Malt. Lambay Irish Whiskey Small Batch Blend is a blend of malted barley and grain whiskey, triple distilled and matured in bourbon barrels with a cognac cask finish. Lambay Irish Whiskey Single Malt is an unpeated whiskey, triple distilled and finished in selected French Oak Cognac casks that have been exposed to the sea air and maritime winds on Lambay Island. The Lambay Whiskey Premium Cask Program will become available for aficionados with an accompanying Cask-Strength product arriving stateside in early 2022.
LIWC Managing Director Jean-David Costerg commented, “Lambay Irish Whiskey Company is absolutely thrilled to have a dedicated and strategic partnership with LIWA in the US market and Western Hemisphere. The US market represents almost 50% of the total Irish whiskey category which has been the fastest-growing spirits category in the last decade 2010-2020 with a growth of +140%. We feel Lambay Irish Whiskey, awarded with over 30 medals from International Spirit competitions, is a perfect fit in terms of taste for the discerning US consumer due to its approachable style, Cognac-cask finish from Maison Camus, and the maritime climate of Lambay island”.
LIWA board member J. Smoke Wallin added, “I’ve had the good fortune to launch hundreds of successful brands in the spirits industry. Lambay Irish Whiskey checks all the key boxes that the most successful brands possess: the fastest growing category, great tasting liquid, brand heritage, and the right team. “
In his role as CEO, Richards will be responsible for all aspects of import, sales and marketing of the Lambay Irish Whiskey products in the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. A Wharton graduate and serial entrepreneur, Richards has over 20 years of experience in the luxury goods and spirits industries. After introducing America to Prosecco in 2001 with Mionetto Prosecco and helping launch Voss Water with his advertising agency, Dune Road Group, Richards segued from brand marketing to brand management when he took over Christiania Vodka as CEO. Richards has also served as CEO of Royal Elite Vodka and most recently Blackwell Rum.
For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
In May, Lambay Whiskey announced the release of their fourth Single Cask Strength Single Malt, Cask 4613. The new offering from the Irish whiskey brand will be made available across Europe this Spring.
We caught up with Lambay’s Global Brand Ambassador Sabine Sheehan to learn more about the whiskey and its namesake island.