Major milestone as 7,000 bottles of Lir Irish Whiskey from Glens of Antrim Distillery crosses the Atlantic to America

Glens of Antrim Distillery based in Cushendall has completed their first shipment of Lir Green Crest into America, shipping 7,000 bottles into the states ahead of a busy summer season.

Since their launch in March 2022, Glens of Antrim Distillery’s premium Irish Whiskey has been available to purchase across retail locations, bars, and restaurants all over the Island of Ireland.

Describing the first shipment as another ‘major milestone’ for the company, Michael McKillop, co-founder of Glens of Antrim Distillery, continued: “During my recent visit to New York and New Jersey I met with dozens of new clients and forged many great relationships with our new customers.

“Over the last decade, Irish whiskey has led the alcoholic drinks sector, consistently recording the highest growth across all spirits with Irish Whiskey sales forecast to reach 300 million bottles per annum by 2030. We believe our brand will resonate with American consumers who appreciate the tradition and craftsmanship that goes into making our whiskey.”

The team at Glens of Antrim Distillery has worked tirelessly to ensure its products meet the stringent requirements of the US markets such as labelling, packaging and export hurdles just to name a few.

The export launch includes Lir Green Crest, a blended whiskey that has been matured in triple cask. Green Crest has been carefully crafted using only the finest ingredients and traditional Irish distilling techniques. This whiskey boasts a nose of mellow hints of apple, toffee and cacao and its palate consists of toffee, vanilla and chocolate notes with a rich, warming and slight malt finish bringing a little taste of Ireland to the American market.

Mary McKillop co-founder, added: "It was always our intention to scale the brand and we are always open to new opportunities! Currently we are in the planning stages for our new distillery building at our home in Cushendall which will bring a new tourism offering to the Antrim Glens with distillery tours and a restaurant as well as creating employment in the local area.”