Music
20 Apr 23

Thin Lizzy collaborate with West Cork Distillers on new whiskey

Sarah, Cathleen and Caroline Lynott, Scott Gorham Brian Downey /front left pictured in West Cork Distillery, Skibbereen, West Cork.

Kate Brayden

The 'Whiskey in the Jar' rockers and the Philip Lynott Estate are teaming up for a new spirit brand in collaboration with West Cork Distillers.

Thin Lizzy members Scott Gorham and Brian Downey - alongside Phil Lynott's family Caroline, Sarah and Cathleen - have collaborated with West Cork Distillers to launch Thin Lizzy Irish Whiskey.

The band members and Philip Lynott Estate were immersed over a two-year period in the bold collaboration to create a whiskey "where Irish craft and art combine".

The rockers developed the brand in the Skibbereen distillery, with new product development marketing manager Joey Shore spearheading the project at West Cork Distillers.

According to the website, "committed and uncompromising in their approach, after many tastings they personally selected an unusual blend incorporating grain and malt Irish whiskeys - finished in double oak casks. Each bottle showcases the works of iconic Thin Lizzy album cover artist, Jim Fitzpatrick."

The band and the Phil Lynott family asked Dublin artist Jim Fitzpatrick, creator of many of Thin Lizzy’s iconic album covers, to work with the West Cork Distillers branding team to craft a label for the bottle.

The "ultimate Irish whiskey for rebels and rogues" is triple distilled and finished in double charred oak casks. "This bold and uncompromising blend of grain and malt Irish whiskeys boasts a rich vanilla sweetness and a satisfying finish of malt vanilla with a hint of smokiness."

Phil Lynott.

It's not the first time West Cork Distillers has teamed up with a band to launch a whiskey.

In 2015, West Cork Distillers and The Pogues, fronted by Shane MacGowan, released a whiskey brand. In 2019, The Pogues and West Cork Distillers released a second whiskey — a single malt.

West Cork Distillers was founded in 2003 by childhood friends John O’Connell, Denis McCarthy and Ger McCarthy. The company has a core range of products, including West Cork Irish Whiskey, Two Trees Vodka and Garnish Island Gin.

The company’s whiskey is distilled, matured and bottled on-site and sells in more than 70 countries. It also distils for other brands. The Skibbereen distillery opened in 2020.

For more news, visit thinlizzyspirits.com. Pre-order the new double charred Irish whiskey here.