
Samuel Gelstonâs Celebrates Gilded History with One-of-a-Kind Wild Irish Gold Bottle

Samuel Gelstonâs Irish Whiskey continues to celebrate the âgold feverâ of its historic founder with the unveiling today (Thursday 15th December) of a spectacular one-off golden bottle which one lucky whiskey enthusiast can win this festive season.
Handcrafted by wild gold expert and jewellery maker Mark Bell, the bespoke bottle has been gilded with a version of Gelstonâs unique star logo made from pure Irish river gold and engraved to pay homage to the whiskeyâs unique heritage.
Established in Belfast in the 1830s, Samuel Gelstonâs was purchased by daring young Irishman Harry Neill in 1869 who made his fortune in Australiaâs famous 1851 Gold Rush. Upon returning to Belfast, Harry used his new-found wealth to build the Gelstonâs business and export his own âliquid goldâ for the world to enjoy.
Having celebrated this history with a special gold panning event and âgold rushâ cocktail campaign earlier this year, Samuel Gelstonâs have now commissioned Mark, the Co-Founder of ethical jewellers Jacqueline & Edward, to embellish Samuel Gelstonâs signature star on a bottle of their blended Irish whiskey.
The finished piece weighs approximately 8g and is half pure Irish river gold from County Down and County Antrim, and half 18ct yellow gold alloy, made from purely recycled materials.
Mark explains âWhen I heard that a fantastic whiskey brand wanted to do a collaboration, the whiskey lover in me was over the moon. Simplicity seemed like the key with regards to the design, so we re-created their signature logo…. but in solid gold.Â
Having now sampled some of their whiskey thanks to Samuel Gelston’s generosity, I can say with my hand on my heart that it is a fine tipple and I’m proud to be part of their journey.”
To be in with a chance of winning the striking bottle, UK-based whiskey fans who are over the age of 18 are encouraged to email gelstonsgold@burtgreener.co.uk and state where or how they would most like to enjoy a dram of Gelstonâs liquid gold or enter via Gelstonâs Instagram @samuelgelstons. The deadline for entries is 29thDecember and the winner will be notified the following day.
Samuel Gelstonâs Owner Johnny Neill commented: âHarry Neill was my great great grandfather so to brings his (and our whiskeyâs) golden past to life through this collaboration is really exciting. Jacqueline & Edward jewellers were the perfect fit for our project. Not only are they also a family business, they are experienced gold prospectors who specialise in creating ethical pieces made from wild and Irish gold. Their bespoke bottle is a real one off and we are excited to add some sparkle to somebodyâs Christmas by gifting it to them.â

About Samuel Gelstonâs
Samuel Gelstonâs Old Irish whiskey was founded in 1830 by Samuel Gelston. It was a time when Irish whiskey was famous around the world.
Samuel, a wine and whiskey merchant from Belfast, made it his mission to source, blend and bottle the best Irish whiskey from across Ireland. At the time there were 88 licensed distilleries on the island, and Samuel selected the very highest quality liquids for each bottle.
In 1869, upon Samuelâs death, the business was bought by Harry J. Neill. Harry had previously left Irelandâs shores with his younger brother Percival in order to make their fortunes in the Australian Gold rush of 1851. Having set up and subsequently sold his successful provisions business in Melbourne & Geelong, Harry returned to Belfast and purchased Gelstonâs. His brother travelled on to New Zealand to set up Messrs Neill & Co in Dunedin in 1882.
However, the Irish Whiskey landscape faced serious challenges as it entered the 20th century, and the combined effects of World War I, the Irish War for Independence and finally Prohibition, resulted in the near collapse of the Irish Whiskey industry â which, in turn, led to the demise of Samuel Gelstonâs Irish Whiskey.
The brand remained with the Neill family, and five generations on it has now been brought back to life by Harryâs great great grandson, Johnny Neill. Johnny and well-known master distiller Frank McHardy made it their mission to journey across Ireland again to source, bottle and blend the best liquids they could find and Samuel Gelstonâs Old Irish Whiskey was reborn.
The current collection includes Samuel Gelstonâs Single Malt, Single Pot Still, 5 Year Old Single Malt, 10 Year Old Single Malt, 15YO Single Malt, 26 Year Old Single Malt. Cousins, Johnny & Sam Neill, descendants of Harry and Percival have joined forces on the latest launch that marries Johnnyâs Irish Whiskey with Samâs Pinot Noir New Zealand Wine Casks.
About Jacqueline & Edward
Mark Bell together with his wife Jacqueline represent the family company which is Jacqueline & Edward. They focus on creating handmade wedding rings from eco-friendly recycled precious metals and sustainably panned alluvial river gold. Mark has been panning and prospecting for gold since he was a boy.