Cooley Strikes Gold in New York and LA

Press Release

Tuesday 30th June 2009

Cooley Strikes Gold in New York and LA

Irelands Independent Whiskey Distiller Wins 8 Gold Medals at 2 US Spirits Competitions

Cooley Distillery, Ireland’s only independent whiskey distiller, won eight Gold Medals including five Best in Class at two separate spirits competitions which took place in New York and Los Angeles recently.

Cooley entered the prestigious Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition for the first time this year while they were invited to take part in the inaugural NY Spirits Competition by its founder spirits writer Andre Levy.

The LA International Wine & Spirits Competition, which celebrated its 70th year in 2009, judges over 4,000 wines and spirits each year from around the globe. The LA IWSC is renowned for its integrity and professionalism and in its first year entering the competition Cooley was awarded four Gold Medals including two Best in Category for its Kilbeggan Irish whiskey and Connemara Peated Single Malt.

In New York, Cooley collected a further three Gold Medals and Best in Class awards.  The inaugural New York Spirits Competition (NYSA) assembled a distinguished judging panel composed of members of the on and off-trade community. The judges scored each brand in a blind tasting and again Cooley’s quality shone through with three of its Malts, Connemara Cask Strength, Connemara 12 Year Old and Tyrconnell Single Malt, winning Gold Medals and Best in Class.

“This year we chose to test our whiskeys at some new Spirits Competition outside of the usual events” comments Jack Teeling, Sales & Marketing Director for Cooley Distillery. “We are delighted that our international reputation stood up to the challenges of these new competitions and that not only our Malts but also our Kilbeggan blended whiskey emerged as a Gold Medal winner and the Best in its Class. The US market is now the largest market for Irish whiskey and our performance in these competitions helps reinforce the reputation of Cooley’s whiskeys to the US trade and consumer. ”

For More Information:

Jack Teeling                                                                +353-1-8332833

Sales & Marketing Director

 David O’Siochain                                                         +353-1- 6496322

Pembroke Communications

Notes to Editors

Cooley Distillery which is based in Louth was named World Distiller of the Year last November at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.

 The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition annually judges 4,000 wines and spirits from around the globe.  The competition celebrated its 70th year in 2009.  Around 100 international experts participate in the judging at Fairplex. Since its inception, the competition has maintained the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. For further information visit http://www.lawinecomp.com.

 Cooley’s winners in this year’s LA IWSC include:

o        Gold & Best in Category – Connemara Peated Single Malt

o        Gold & Best in Category – Kilbeggan Finest Irish whiskey

o        Gold – Connemara Cask Strength

o        Gold – Connemara 12 Year Old

o        Silver – Tyrconnell Single Malt

 The New York Spirits Awards was founded in 2009 by two industry veterans, Dori Bryant, President of the Polished Palate, and Adam Levy, spirits writer. The NYSA is dedicated to finding and honouring the very best of class in the spirits industry. The New York Spirits Awards (NYSA) is a competition that consists solely of judges who interact on a daily basis with the most valuable and ultimate decision-maker, the consumer. The judges are buyers from top retail stores, mixologists, bar chefs and sommeliers, bar owners & managers and those who purchase spirits for the hospitality industry. For further information visit http://www.nyspiritsawards.com.

Cooley’s winners in at the NYSA competition include:

Gold & Best in Class – Connemara Cask Strength
Gold & Best in Class – Connemara 12 Year Old
Gold & Best in Class – Tyrconnell Single Malt