Whisky Focus - Bushmills Toast To Honour The Spirit Of St.Patrick

St. Patricks Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17th March each year, it celebrates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as the heritage and culture of the Irish in general and of course whiskey has been a part of the Irish culture for hundreds of years. Whiskey distilling is said to have been brought to Ireland and indeed Scotland by early Christians it seems only fitting a glass of this brown spirit should be raised to toast Ireland and its St Patrick its patron saint.

Today St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by millions of people globally on 17th March and this year Bushmills Irish Whiskey has released a compelling toast to give people a different way to celebrate the true spirit of St. Patrick.

The ‘Bushmills Toast’ is inspired by the ancient ritual of honouring someone with a drink and is the first official toast in the brand’s 400 years of distilling history. The toast gives people a true way to honour the legacy of St. Patrick, a man who lived in County Antrim where Bushmills Irish whiskey is also distilled.

The Bushmills Toast
THIS IS FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T AFRAID TO STAY THE SAME
AMONGST THE FACE OF CHANGE.
WHEN EVERYONE ELSE SWAYS ONE WAY
THEY STRAY AGAINST THE GRAIN.

THERE’S LEVELS TO THIS MALTY STORY
IDEAS DISTILLED THROUGH GENERATIONS
A LEGACY OF CRAFT AND SKILL
THAT FUELS THESE CELEBRATIONS.

THIS IS TO THE HEALTH
OF THOSE WITH THE SPIRIT OF ST. PATRICK HIMSELF
WHOSE STORY’S WRITTEN ON THE ROCKS OF THE NORTH COAST SHORE
A DIFFERENT KIND OF IRISH, WHO LIVE BY ‘LESS IS MORE.’

SO HERE’S TO THE WILD AND HERE’S TO THE FREE
HERE’S TO YOU AND HERE’S TO ME
HERE’S TO THOSE WHO QUIETLY DO
THIS BUSHMILLS MOMENT GOES TO YOU.


The toast has been brought to life through a 40 second emotive video (above) voiced by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery, who’s singular sound has racked up over 65 million plays on Spotify. A frenetic montage of bold imagery contextualising modern Ireland is juxtaposed by the voice of Lavery who is set to release his third studio album and embark on a tour of Europe, the UK, US, Ireland and Canada later this year.

Ciaran Lavery said: “I come from County Antrim where the Old Bushmills Distillery is located so it’s a real honour to provide the voice for the first official toast in the history of Bushmills Irish Whiskey. I‘ve been fortunate enough to have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in many countries whilst touring, but time and time again it’s all about Irish folklore and the colour green, rather than St. Patrick the man. I approach my music with great honesty so it’s refreshing to see this honesty at the heart of the new ‘Bushmills toast’, which perfectly captures the modern attitude towards our patron saint.”

Colum Egan, Master Distiller at Bushmills Irish Whiskey, adds: “At the Old Bushmills Distillery we’ve always done things our own way and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is no different. We pride ourselves on our unwavering character – doing what’s right rather than what’s popular and the new ‘Bushmills toast’ captures our ethos by creating a moment to celebrate the true spirit of St. Patrick.”

If you are looking for something to toast St. Patrick you will find the current range of Bushmills blended whiskeys and triple distilled single mat whiskeys available from specialist online whisky retailers such as Master of Malt
 

• UK Shops
   
• USA Shops
   
• European Shops

Whisky Focus