The Three Drinkers Launch their Inaugural, Limited Edition Irish Whiskey with Sliabh Liag Distillers
Aidy Smith and Helena Nicklin, executive producers and presenters of the award-winning, drinks travel show The Three Drinkers in Ireland on Amazon Prime, have launched a limited edition, red wine finished Irish Whiskey in collaboration with Sliabh Liag Distillers - just in time for St Patrick's Day.
A New Whiskey for The Three Drinkers
The Three Drinkers have collaborated with Sliabh Liag Distillers, one of the new wave of Distillers in Ireland and a partner distillery for the show, to produce an Irish whiskey. The team wanted to create a spirit that showcased the historic, subtly smoky style of Irish whiskey while maintaining some classic fruitiness and adding their own fingerprint as lovers of fine wine. The Three Drinkers Limited Edition Red Silkie Irish Whiskey hails from County Donegal on Ireland's wild Atlantic coast and is finished in red Pomerol wine barrels sourced from acclaimed producer, Clos L’Eglise in Bordeaux.
This is the second product from The Three Drinkers, who launched a 17 year Scotch whisky to celebrate their first show, The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky, and which sold out within a couple of days.
“We always had the idea to create a product for every Three Drinkers series we produce,” says Aidy Smith. “Meeting James and Moira, founders of Sliabh Liag Distillers, in episode two of our Ireland show and seeing the amazing work they’d done with wine finishes before, confirmed that they would be the perfect partner to create our own version - and we love the result. Whether sipping neat or creating some signature cocktail serves, it offers the best of both worlds.”
“This whiskey is gorgeously rich and velvety,” continues Helena Nicklin. “James and Moira have captured that wonderful balance of dried fruit spice and moreish salinity topped off with deliciously complex, ripe, red fruit flavours coming from the wine casks. It’s so approachable and easy-drinking, yet with such elegant complexity, you could sit with it for hours.”
“We’re absolutely delighted with how this whiskey has turned out,” says James Doherty from Sliabh Liag Distillers.“Our Silkie with its subtle hint of smoke, takes a finish really well and the Pomerol casks have given a remarkable sweet, spicy and floral overlay to the Legendary Silkie. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s the most successful red wine finish yet..”
Official Whiskey Tasting Note
Rose gold to amber in colour with a hint of glister, this whiskey is unctuously rich and velvety, balancing intense notes of ripe red fruits, candied orange peel and tarte tatin with pipe tobacco, licorice and a dollop of lightly smoky, salted caramel. It's approachable and easy-drinking, yet complex enough to sit with over time; a pleasure for whiskey newbies and aficionados alike.
£1 From Each Bottle To Support Mental Health
Aidy & Helena have been open about their own journeys with mental health and are proudly supporting mental health charity My Black Dog, with £1 from every bottle sold going towards supporting a variety of initiatives. This launch also coincides with the duo’s involvement with The Big Bash; a celebrity auction event taking place on March 2nd to raise money for the charity with the likes of Chris Evans, Ricky WIlson, Gaby Roslin and Jeffrey Archer. Aidy & Helena will also be putting themselves up in an auction prize to host a bespoke and intimate cocktail session at the highest bidder’s home, complete with canapés from music-maverick, DJ and chef, Eddy Temple-Morris. Bidding for this lot ends on March 2nd and can be found here.
“Certain events in my personal life have made me aware of the amazing work that My Black Dog does with their totally free, peer-to-peer support for those suffering with their mental health,” says Helena. “We have a chance to contribute and raise awareness of them with this project, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
A limited amount of Red Silkie, The Three Drinkers Edition, is available for pre-order now on the Sliabh Liag Distillers website, priced £49.99. Soon after, it will also be available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk.
About Sliabh Liag Distillers
Sliabh Liag (pronounced Sleeve League) is an international drinks company based in Donegal on the stunning Sliabh Liag peninsula. The business was founded by ‘scatterlings’ James & Moira Doherty who had a desire to build a legacy in spirits and return Donegal to its rightful place in Ireland’s distilling history by highlighting the area's distinct characteristics. Driven by a passion for soft-drinking hard spirits, James and Moira take authentic inspiration from the rugged landscape, tough climate and rich regional traditions of their terroir to create their delicious drinks. Their home is in the festival town of Ardara, where the distillery is based and Carrick, where blending, bottling and administration operations happen.
About The Three Drinkers
The Three Drinkers are drinks experts, writers, broadcasters and influencers Aidy Smith and Helena Nicklin, joined by a deliciously diverse revolving roster of ‘Third Drinker’ personalities. The Three Drinkers is a 360-degree media platform featuring TV, digital media, audio, in-person events, social media and products. This includes the multi award-winning Amazon Prime series ‘The Three Drinkers’, streaming in 170+ countries worldwide in 39 languages as well as an online content hub (thethreedrinkers.com) focusing on food, drink, travel and lifestyle guides, the ‘Bring a Bottle’ podcast and over 12 social media influencer accounts, spanning Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Q&A
Why Ireland?
After Scotland, Ireland was an obvious choice for us, fuelled by a desire on both sides to get in touch with our Irish ancestry. My (Helena’s) grandfather grew up near the Giant’s Causeway in Coleraine and my lasting memory of him is always with a glass of Irish whiskey in hand - a fond sensory memory that will always remind me of that side of my family.
Why did you decide to create this whiskey?
When researching each TV series, we spend weeks getting to know as much of the food and drinks culture of our locations that we can and it’s important to us that we allow the adventure to live on well after filming. For that reason, we seek to create a limited edition bottle of something special every time we produce a show, so there’s always a little treat to look forward to later on down the line. It also means you can re-watch the series with a glass in hand - and we all love an immersive experience!
What inspired you to create a wine finished Irish Whiskey?
We loved the idea of creating a wine-finished, Irish whiskey from the off because we’re all about delicious drinks but also, getting friends and viewers to try something they may not have thought about before. The Irish whiskey style is famously easy-drinking with its tendency to be fruity and silky. With the red wine cask finish, we hoped to produce something that would appeal to wine drinkers wanting to try whiskey for the first time as well as seasoned and whiskey lovers.
We’ve been working collectively for nearly thirty years in the wine and spirits industries and have fallen in love with all forms of liquid during that time. We wanted to take a fantastic example of Irish Whiskey and combine it with another world we are so close to: wine.
Where did you source the casks from?
We wanted something bold, beautiful, fruity and iconic; something that definitely had to be ‘Old World’, because that’s where we are from. When James gave us a list of producers we could potentially work with, we saw Clos L’Eglise and jumped at the chance. Why wouldn’t we?
Why did you choose this particular charity, My Black Dog?
Helena’s Reason: Most of us have had some sort of run in with our own mental health, especially with the pressures lockdown laid at our doors. I’ve seen first hand the damage that spirals of self doubt, anxiety and depression can have on individuals, their families and entire friendship circles. I have also, however, seen how quickly getting help can work wonders, thanks to the individuals at charities like My Black Dog. It does not only feel miraculous and surprisingly simple (when you get it right), but immensely life affirming.
Aidy’s Reason: Having grown up with Tourette Syndrome, mental health has always been a topic I've had to become more than comfortable with. 80% of us with TS experience co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, dyslexia and so on - this can make life turn into quite a steep mountain at times. Charities like My Black Dog reinforce how important mental health is and save lives by getting people the help they need before it's too late.
You can pre-order The Three Drinkers new Irish whiskey here!