ON THE WEB

by KYLE SWARTZ

The Irish whiskey category has grown significantly in recent years but can still suffer from seeming a little narrow in scope . It ’ s a space dominated by a single behemoth brand with a lot of lookalikes . As American whiskey continues to expand and pull in new consumers through innovation , the question can be asked of Irish imports : Where ’ s your evolution ? What ’ s next ?

One brand that might be onto something new is Natterjack . Launched at the beginning of the pandemic , this sourced product takes many cues from bourbon . The squat curved bottle looks like a microdistillery ’ s output . The beefy toad logo reflects American marketing ’ s love of eye-catching critters on alcohol labels . And the leadership includes veteran head distiller Jordan Via , cofounder of Breckenridge Distillery .

Currently the brand is in 14 U . S . states . The juice has caught attention . Especially the cask strength . It ’ s a much-welcomed 126 proof in a category known for — and sometimes dismissed as — being light . Natterjack Cask Strength won Best Irish Whiskey of the Year in the 2024 Whiskey Bible .

We recently sat down with founder Aidan Mehigan and his wife Faye to talk about launching a modern Irish whiskey brand .

Beverage Dynamics : Tell us about launching a new Irish whiskey brand . Aidan Mehigan : We launched in 2019 but really the idea for the brand goes back to 2015−2016 . I remember not liking what was out there in the category . I didn ’ t have a favorite Irish whiskey . I thought , ‘ How is it that Irish whiskey has missed me when I have this disposable income ?’ I also thought that Irish whiskey was following Scotch down the path of provenance , of being too stuffy .

I love bourbon and I have a favorite bourbon . That ’ s what brought us to learn about what it takes to make whiskey and build something in the category . Faye Mehigan : We were looking for a way to broaden the category and bring in younger consumers . We wanted to appeal to women and show that brown spirits can be more accessible .

And there ’ s no point in trying to imitate what the big guys are doing . AM : You have to be different . In Irish whisky , the branding is traditionally the place name or the surname . Tullamore or Jameson . We actually approached the Irish Food Board and got them to add a third category : abstract . We went into that .

We didn ’ t want to be a place name or surname whisky . Mehigans doesn ’ t mean anything . FM : And it would have been a place name or surname without any history .

BD : Why a cask strength at 126 proof ? AM : It goes back to us wanting to tell our story honestly . Other Irish whiskey cask strengths come in around 55 % or 57 % ABV . We wanted a true cask strength . We wanted to show folks what ’ s in the barrel . Open it up , pour through a sieve , and what comes out . FM : When you ’ re more picky about the ABV in your cask strength , it ’ s a way to hide weaknesses in whiskey . It ’ s a bit too hot , it ’ s sharp , it ’ s rough . For us , we wanted to be really honest , warts and all . That ’ s our philosophy , and it goes well with the toad , too .

BD : I ’ m seeing more animals in whiskey branding , like Blue Run ’ s butterfly . Why the natterjack toad ? AM : For starters , it ’ s the only indigenous toad in Ireland . FM : It ’ s a tiny steal from bourbon , where you see buffalos and lions and other critters on bottles .

The thing about being a startup , it ’ s a struggle . The toad embodies that . It embodies doing things your own way , too , sometimes . It ’ s nocturnal like Irish whiskey drinkers . And it changes its behavior based on situations . These natterjack toads , they live in little pools in the Irish dunes . They get loads of rain there . In order to not drown , the toad has to climb up and out of the pool . It changes its behavior to survive .

When we launched in 2019−2020 , we were pinpointing on-premise . Then Covid hit and we had to change . We pivoted to the off-premise . And that ’ s where we ’ re still the strongest . In the off-premise in New York .

I love the idea of a really ugly spirit animal . We ’ re doing things differently . It really appeals to our sense of fun . And what does the shelf of Irish whiskey look like ? And what makes people look at that shelf and think , ‘ Huh , I think I want to try that ’.

This interview was edited and condensed for publication .

For the full stories , visit www . BeverageDynamics . com . www . beveragedynamics . com Spring 2024 • Beverage Dynamics 5