Paddy Whiskey

The Cork Distilleries Company was founded in 1867 to merge four existing distilleries in Cork city (the North Mall, the Green, Watercourse Road, and Daly's) under the control of one group.{{Cite book|title=Irish Whiskey: A history of Distilling, the Spirit Trade, and Excise Controls in Ireland|last=McGuire|first=E.B.|publisher=Gill and Macmillan|year=1973|isbn=0064947017|location=Dublin|pages=375–381}} A fifth distillery, the Old Midleton Distillery, joined the group soon after in 1868.{{Cite book|title=The Lost Distilleries of Ireland|last=Townsend|first=Brian|publisher=Neil Wilson Publishing|year=1999|isbn=1897784872|location=Glasgow}}

In 1882,{{Cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/map1.html|title=Paddy Irish Whiskey|website=www.paddy.ie|access-date=2018-08-17}} the company hired a young Corkman called Paddy Flaherty as a salesman.{{Cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/map1.html|title=Spiritual Following: Cork Distilleries Company|website=Paddy.ie|access-date=17 August 2018}} Flaherty travelled the pubs of Cork marketing the company's unwieldy named "Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whiskey". His sales techniques (which included free rounds of drinks for customers) were so good, that when publicans ran low on stock they would write to the distillery to reorder cases of "Paddy Flaherty's whiskey".{{Cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/map2.html|title=Spiritual Following: Train Station|website=Paddy.ie|access-date=17 August 2018}} In 1912, with his name having become synonymous with the whiskey, the distillery officially renamed the whiskey Paddy Irish Whiskey in his honour.

In the 1920s and 1930s in Ireland, whiskey was sold in casks from the distillery to wholesalers, who would in turn sell it on to publicans.{{Cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/paddy2.html|title=True Spirit|website=Paddy.ie|access-date=17 August 2018}} To prevent fluctuations in quality due to middlemen diluting their casks, Cork Distilleries Company decided to bottle their own whiskey known as Paddy, becoming one of the first to do so.

In 1988, following an unsolicited takeover offer by Grand Metropolitan, Irish Distillers approached Pernod Ricard and subsequently became a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate, following a friendly takeover bid.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/25/business/pernod-ricard-bid-prevails-in-battle-for-irish-distillers.html|title=Pernod-Ricard Prevails in Battle for Irish Distillers|date=25 November 1988|work=The New York Times|access-date=17 August 2018}}

In 2016, Pernod Ricard sold the Paddy brand to Sazerac, a privately held American firm for an undisclosed fee. Pernod Ricard stated that the sale was in order to "simplify" their portfolio, and allow for more targeted investment in their other Irish whiskey brands, such as Jameson and Powers.

At the time of the sale, Paddy was the fourth largest-selling Irish whiskey brand in the world, with sales of 200,000 9-litre cases per annum, across 28 countries worldwide.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/05/pernod-confirms-sale-of-paddy-irish-whiskey/|title=Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, has confirmed the sale of Paddy Irish Whiskey to US-based spirits producer Sazerac.|date=18 May 2016|work=The Drinks Business|access-date=17 August 2018}}

For the American market, the whiskey was rebranded as "Paddy's" but the product is the same as that still sold in Ireland as "Paddy."

In 2020, Paddy's was named the Best Blended Irish Whiskey at the International Whiskey Competition. The whiskey also earned a silver medal and second place for Best Irish Whiskey at the event.{{Cite web|title=Paddy's named Best Blended Irish Whiskey|date=12 August 2020 |url=https://www.lanereport.com/129568/2020/08/paddys-named-best-blended-irish-whiskey/|access-date=2020-12-11|language=en-US}}

Paddy whiskey is distilled three times and matured in oak casks for up to seven years.{{cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/paddy3.html|title=Timeless Spirit|website=Paddy.ie|accessdate=17 August 2018}} Compared with other Irish whiskeys, Paddy has a comparatively low pot still content and a high malt content in its blend.{{Cite web|url=http://www.paddy.ie/paddy.html|title=Paddy|website=Paddy.ie|access-date=17 August 2018}}

Jim Murray, author of the Whiskey bible, has rated Paddy as "one of the softest of all Ireland's whiskeys".

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.paddy.ie Paddy Old Irish Whiskey website]

{{Sazerac Company}}

{{Irish whiskey}}

{{Alcoholic drinks}}

Category:Sazerac Company brands

Category:Irish whiskey