Press Release
Tuesday 1st September, 2009
Connemara Irish Whiskey Becomes Official Spirit of Connacht Rugby
Award Winning Cooley Distillery Partners with Connacht Rugby
Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish whiskey has become the official spirit to Connacht Rugby. Connemara is a unique award winning whiskey inspired by the historic distillation traditions of the West of Ireland.
The partnership between Connemara Irish whiskey and Connacht Rugby has been forged out of a shared role as the underdog and a common passion for rugby. Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish whiskey is a brand of Cooley Distillery, Ireland’s only independent whiskey distillery. Like Connacht Rugby, Cooley has battled for survival against better funded outfits but has persevered to become a success in their own right.
Cooley Distillery was founded by entrepreneur John Teeling, whose love of the game of rugby is closely tied to his affiliation with Clontarf Rugby Football Club. John has been involved in teams at all levels in Clontarf and continues to play for the club’s Golden Oldies .
“As a rugby fanatic I applaud the David versus Goliath struggles of Connacht rugby. In Cooley we have been involved in many ourselves.” says John Teeling, Chairman of Cooley Distillery. “I hope this vote of confidence by Cooley in Connacht rugby will help in the battles to come”.
“We are delighted to welcome Connemara Irish whiskey on board as a partner to Connacht Rugby. Cooley have already supported a number of our corporate and fundraising initiatives and this partnership allows us to forge a formal relationship which will be mutually beneficial and which will establish Connemara as the Spirit of Connacht,” said Gerry Kelly, CEO Connacht Rugby.
Connemara is the most decorated Irish whiskey of recent times winning over 20 Gold Medals from International Spirits Competitions over the last 5 years, including being honoured as the “World’s Best Irish Single Malt” in 2008 and 2009. Inspired by Ireland’s ancient distilling traditions, Connemara’s smooth sweet malt taste and complex peat flavours make it a truly unique Irish whiskey. To reflect the quality of the whiskey, Connemara has recently been rebranded to enable it to pay homage to its roots while maintaining an appearance in keeping with modern premium spirits brands.
ENDS
www.connemarawhiskey.com
http://www.connachtrugby.ie
For Additional information:
Jack Teeling +353-1-8332833
Sales & Marketing Director
David O’Siochain +353-1- 6496322
Pembroke Communications
