Roe & Co Blended Irish Whiskey

Diageo redeems themselves with a real-deal Irish Whiskey… May the Dram Be With You.

A few years ago in 2015, somewhere in the corporate tower of Diageo — lords of international spirits — some middle management minion came into the star chamber and told the emperor that he had been successful in selling Bushmills Irish Whiskey. To which the dark lord exclaimed… “You did WHAT?!”

OK… we’re only speculating a bit. But with the exploding popularity of Irish Whiskey these days, it’s obvious that Diageo regretted the sale. Roe & Co. Irish Whiskey was released for the first time in March of 2017 to bring a premium Irish Whiskey back into the Diageo portfolio. It’s named after the George Roe & Co that once owned the Thomas Street Distillery in Dublin — the largest in the world at the time. Diageo is planning on building a new Roe & Co. Distillery to support the line, so we believe that a Single Malt is coming as a sequel.

First, let’s just say it out loud… Diageo knows the spirits business as well as anyone, and this is a solid initial offering right out of the gate. It’s a blend in all the right ways. Diageo put one of their best people on it — master blender Jedi-Knight of Whiskey, Caroline Martin. And it’s aged exclusively in ex-Bourbon casks — most first-fill — and bottled at an almost perfect 45% ABV. Spot on flavor and texture. We think that this Irish Whiskey is a bargain and that it will likely sell for more in coming years as the public awakens to the new brand.