Tasting The Busker Irish whiskey

By Editor on May 12, 2023

The Busker Irish Whiskey Global Brand Ambassador Woody Kane touched down in Sydney from Ireland this week to introduce Australians to the award-winning spirit.

Irish whiskey sales are going through the roof globally, with the value of exports exceeding one billion euros for the first time in 2022 according to data from the Irish Whiskey Association.

According to the Irish Consul General to Sydney Rosie Keane, Australia is one of the fastest growing markets for Irish whiskey globally, with sales doubling between 2016 to 2020. Of the 14 million cases of Irish whiskey that were sold in 2021, three million of the bottles were shipped to Australia. According to the Irish Whiskey Association, there was continued strong growth in Australia for Irish whiskey in 2022.

Following amaretto sours on arrival at Burrow Bar and a menu from Cash Only Diner that included spring rolls, mini banh mi and green rice crumbed prawns, Kane conducted a masterclass to introduce The Busker to the drinks trade, writers and reality TV stars including Thomas Malucelli from The Bachelor, one half of the winning duo of My Kitchen Rules 2022 Monzir Hamdin and Cody Bromley from Married At First Sight 2022.

The Busker is a “new to world” Irish Whiskey that is born out of a modern Ireland. The distillery was launched by Disaronno International in 2020 and its range includes all four types of Irish whiskeys – Single Grain, Single Pot Still, Single Malt and Blend – made at the Royal Oak Distillery, County Carlow, located on an 18th-century estate in Ireland’s Ancient East region.

A major point of differentiation for The Busker Irish Whiskey takes place during the aging process, where the blend, Triple Cask Triple Smooth and Single Grain expressions mature in rare and selected Cantine Florio (1833) Sicilian Marsala wine casks.

The casks add a rich sweetness to the whiskies, which have been created with an eye to converting Scotch and Bourbon drinkers and a focus on captivating the Millennial market.

Aside from the casks it uses, The Busker aims to source the highest quality ingredients locally, from the barely to the water, and work with highly trained distillers who are passionate about what they do and watch carefully over the whole process of production.

Drinks Digest’s favourite among the four was the incredibly smooth Single Grain, which begins by offering sweet caramel notes before moving to soft vanilla and oak flavours.

While Kane suggests drinking the whiskies neat initally to taste the quality of the liquid, he agrees they make an outstanding addition cocktails, noting that Simone Caporale from Sips Drinkery House in Barcelona creates a wild vision of a Whiskey Sour with The Busker.

Kane even suggests substituting The Busker for tequila in a Paloma!