Drinkers to be shaken and stirred by hybrid

Mixing Scotch with our own uisce beatha!

It’s a bit Irish, isn’t it?

Enough to drive you to drink.

But that’s the plan of businessman Jack Teeling, who is launching a blend mixing Irish whiskey with Scottish whisky. But will he and his colleagues retain or drop an “e”, so to speak?

The clue lies in the name of the company, Teeling Whiskey, and a spokesman yesterday reassured the imbibing public that the hybrid product will follow the Irish tradition and be spelled “whiskey”.

According to Teeling Whiskey, the offspring from marrying aged malt whiskies from around the world with the home-grown variety “creates a fusion of styles and flavours which delivers a truly unique taste experience”.

Mr Teeling, managing director of Teeling, said: ”Over the coming months, the Teeling Whiskey Company will release a range of other products that will further expand consumer choice and challenge existing perceptions of Irish whiskey.”

Edition No 1 of the hybrid consists of single malt whiskey from Cooley Distillery and 10-year-old single malt whisky from Bruicladdich in Scotland. They have been sloshing together in oak barrels for the past eight years.

It is on sale for €50 from the Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dawson St, Dublin, and at Dublin Airport.