I have long believed that the best way to support transatlantic partnerships is to support Irish businesses. And there’s no more enjoyable and rewarding way to do this than by putting your name on one of the first casks from the new Hinch Distillery in Ballynahinch, County Down.

Founder Terry Cross has enjoyed a remarkable entrepreneurial career, creating hundreds of jobs in West Belfast through Delta Print and Packaging which he sold to multinational Huhtamaki in 2016.

His latest project is the $35m Hinch Whiskey Distillery which I visited again this week. (You will enjoy looking back at this piece I wrote about the venture back in June 2019.)  Hinch Distillery is already putting whiskey in barrels and undoubtedly it will, post-COVID, be a major tourism and hospitality attraction on the way to the Mournes.

Of course, this is a cash-intensive investment and while Terry waits the requisite three-years-and-a-day before his product can go on sale, he is keen to make some pre-sales of the first 161 casks from the distillery.

The Irish Echo is more than pleased to promote this compelling offer on his behalf in the US.  The Irish Echo will be paid a 15 per cent commission for each cask sale we generate to support our public-service journalism serving Irish America at this time of global crisis. 

You can see first details of An Chéad Dún (The First Down) cask release online – the price is not for the faint-hearted but then this is a five-ten year investment producing 300 bottles of what will be one of Ireland's great whiskeys. Drop me a line or call Mary Finch in our New York office at 212-482-4818 if you want to learn more about this unique offer. 

Above is a photo I took during my visit of the barrels lined up at Hinch while below is the main man himself at the production line. 

Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi mhaise daoibh uilig. Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and brighter New Year.

Fad saoil agus sláinte. 

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