The Irishman whiskey gifted its movie namesake’s stars with personalized bottles of rare Irish whiskey.
Ahead of the world premiere of “The Irishman” at the 2019 New York Film Festival today, Friday, September 27, one Irish whiskey brand is celebrating its surprising link to the most anticipated movie of the year.
The movie stars a legendary cast led by Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel. However, one Irish man sees the film’s release quite differently. Irish whiskey producer Bernard Walsh has been producing “The Irishman” since 2007.
Not only does Walsh’s whiskey share the same name as the movie, but it also shares the same logo. Instead of disputing the commercial rights to his brand with Scorsese and Netflix (the movie’s backers), Walsh has recently written to Scorsese to make him an offer he surely can’t refuse – and it’s sealed in a wooden casket!
Read more: Robert De Niro is on a desperate search to find his Irish roots
The Irishman whiskey even made a movie poster.
The casket contains two things. The first is a letter from Walsh offering Scorsese and Netflix an ample supply of The Irishman whiskey for all of the movie’s premieres – free of charge.
The second item is a personalized bottle of his critically acclaimed whiskey, The Irishman Cask Strength. As a mark of respect, Walsh has also sent 30 personalized bottles of this rare, triple-distilled, 54% ABV whiskey (valued at US$140/ €130 a bottle) for senior members of the cast and production crew. This includes De Niro, Pacino, Pesci and Keitel and Stephen Zaillian, the author of the movie’s screenplay.
The whiskey has even developed its own trailer in the style of the movie itself:
Commenting on his deep regard for the great director, Walsh said: “I have been a fan of Mr. Scorsese’s work for many years and I hope that he will also appreciate mine. In addition to our sharing a business name, we already have a few other things in common. We both love creating works of intensity, depth, and character, accepting awards and having a healthy regard for the critics!”
Referencing his surprise that the movie has chosen to use the same branding as his whiskey, Walsh added: “It was a major surprise to see my brand on a Hollywood movie trailer, but my view is that the world is a big enough place for us to co-exist together. In fact, in the 50-plus countries where our whiskey is distributed worldwide, people could do a lot worse than pour themselves a dram of The Irishman Founder’s Reserve when they settle down to watch what surely will be an Oscar-winning movie on Netflix in the Fall.
“One thing’s for sure, whether Mr. Scorsese decides to accept or refuse my offer, he won’t have to worry about me challenging him to a duel in the Octagon! I am not that kind of Irishman!”
You can watch “The Irishman” movie trailer here:
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