| Feeling Irish today? Did you remember to wear | | | | first produced in 1960 by The Great Northern |
| green? Well, just for fun we thought we would | | | | Brewery, Dundalk, as a bottled beer, in response |
| send out a list of the Top 5 Irish Trademarks as | | | | to the trend among drinkers in Britain and Ireland |
| recognized globally. | | | | towards continental lager. By 1961, it was brewed |
| No. 1 Baileys Irish Cream | | | | under an alliance of the brewing companies, |
| Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish whiskey and cream | | | | Courage, Barclay & Simonds, Scottish & |
| based liqueur, made by Gilbeys of Ireland. The | | | | Newcastle, Bass, Mitchells & Butlers and |
| trademark is currently owned by Diageo. It has a | | | | Guinness. These companies grouped together |
| declared alcohol content of 17% alcohol by | | | | under the name of the Harp Lager Ltd. |
| volume. | | | | consortium. Coming 1964, it was being sold on |
| Baileys Irish Cream was created by Gilbeys of | | | | draught and quickly led in its category for sales. |
| Ireland as it searched for something to introduce | | | | Members of the Harp consortium changed over |
| to the international market. The process of finding | | | | the years, with Courage and Scottish & |
| a product began in 1971 and it was introduced in | | | | Newcastle leaving in 1979, but becoming |
| 1974 as the first Irish Cream on the market. | | | | franchisees. |
| Despite attributions to Andrew Bailey of the R.A. | | | | Dr. Herman Muendar, a distinguished German |
| Bailey Company, no such person existed. The | | | | "Braumeister" was chosen to manage the new |
| choice of the name Bailey was based on branding. | | | | venture, being eminently suited to the task, |
| It can be compared to other cream liqueurs | | | | having gained considerable experience supervising |
| such as Amarula, Carolans and Sangster's. | | | | and directing the re-building of war damaged |
| No. 2 Guinness | | | | breweries in the Ruhr area of Germany. And so |
| Guinness is a popular dry stout that originated in | | | | Harp Lager was born, with the Brian Boru Harp as |
| the brewery of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803) | | | | its emblem. For many years the memorable |
| at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is based on | | | | slogan "Harp stays sharp" was used in |
| the porter style that originated in London in the | | | | advertisements for the Lager. |
| early 18th century and is one of the most | | | | In 2005, Harp saw a makeover. Diageo Ireland |
| successful beer brands worldwide. A distinctive | | | | separated the brand from Guinness and gave it a |
| feature is the burnt flavor which is derived from | | | | new look, with new advertisements appearing on |
| the use of roasted barley. For many years a | | | | TV. Ironically, there is no longer an actual Harp on |
| portion of the drink was aged to give a sharp | | | | the design of the new tins and bottles, as that |
| lactic flavor, although Guinness has refused to | | | | logo belongs to Guinness. US and Canadian sold |
| confirm whether this still occurs. The thick creamy | | | | bottles still bear the Harp logo (2008). |
| head is the result of the beer being mixed with | | | | On the 9th May 2008, Diageo Ireland announced |
| nitrogen when being poured. It is popular with Irish | | | | that they are to close the Dundalk Brewery along |
| people both in Ireland and abroad and, in spite of | | | | with the Kilkenny Brewery over a five year |
| a decline in consumption over recent years, is the | | | | period. Thus ending a long tradition of Brewing in |
| best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland. | | | | Dundalk. |
| Arthur Guinness started brewing ales from 1759 | | | | No. 5: Waterford Crystal |
| in Leixlip, then at the St. James's Gate Brewery, | | | | The beginnings of glass making in Ireland are lost |
| Dublin. On December 31st he signed "up to" a | | | | in the mists of time but there is sufficient |
| 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the | | | | archaeological evidence to show that, from the |
| unused brewery. Ten years later on May 19, 1769 | | | | early Iron Age, glass was regarded with respect. |
| Guinness exported his ale for the first time, when | | | | Indeed, medieval documents can prove glass |
| six and a half barrels were shipped to England. | | | | making existed in Ireland back in the middle 13th |
| Guinness is sometimes believed to have originated | | | | century. |
| the stout style of beer. However the first use of | | | | However, the Waterford Crystal story started to |
| the word stout in relation to beer was in a letter | | | | blossom in 1783 when two brothers, George and |
| in the Egerton Manuscript dated 1677, almost 50 | | | | William Penrose, founded their crystal |
| years before Arthur Guinness was born. Arthur | | | | manufacturing business in the busy port of |
| Guinness started selling the dark beer porter in | | | | Waterford. They were important developers and |
| 1778. The first Guinness beers to use the term | | | | the city's principal exporters. The development, |
| were Single Stout and Double Stout in the 1840s. | | | | they told the Irish Parliament, cost £10,000 - a |
| No. 3 Jameson Irish Whisky | | | | great deal of money in the 18th century. |
| Jameson is a single-distillery Irish whiskey. The | | | | They employed 50 to 70 people, led by a fellow |
| brand is today owned by the French beverage | | | | Quaker, John Hill, from Stourbridge in England, and |
| conglomerate Pernod Ricard. Jameson is similar in | | | | succeeded in producing crystal with a purity of |
| its adherence to the single distillery principle to the | | | | color unmatched in Ireland or England. Merchant |
| single malt tradition, but Jameson combines malted | | | | ships sailed regularly from the port of Waterford |
| barley with unmalted or "green" barley. The most | | | | with cargoes of crystal bound for Spain, the West |
| famous component within Jameson is the | | | | Indies, New York, New England and Newfoundland. |
| legendary "Pure Pot Still" component unique to | | | | But less than 100 years later the initial company |
| Irish whiskey distilling tradition. | | | | failed due to lack of capital and excessive |
| When John Jameson, a Scottish-born | | | | taxation. In what seems a remarkably short time, |
| businessman, acquired the Bow Street Distillery in | | | | Waterford Crystal acquired an unequalled |
| 1780, it was producing about 30,000 gallons | | | | reputation that has transcended the intervening |
| annually. By the turn of the century, it was the | | | | centuries. |
| second largest producer in Ireland and one of the | | | | Another century passed before the enterprise |
| largest in the world, producing 1,000,000 gallons | | | | was revived. In 1947, while Europe was still in |
| annually. Dublin at the time was the epicentre of | | | | ruins after the second World War, a small glass |
| world whiskey production. It was the second | | | | factory was set up in Waterford just 11/2 miles |
| most popular spirit in the world after rum, and | | | | from the site of the original glass factory. |
| internationally Jameson had, by 1805, become the | | | | Waterford Crystal today has very strong links |
| world's number one whiskey. Today, Jameson is | | | | with its illustrious predecessor. There is today the |
| the third largest Single Distillery Whiskey in the | | | | same dedication to the purity of color, to the |
| world. | | | | same design inspiration and to the same pursuit of |
| Historical events, for a time, set the company | | | | highest quality levels possible. The traditional |
| back. The temperance movement in Ireland had | | | | cutting patterns made famous by the artisans of |
| an enormous impact domestically but the two | | | | Waterford became the design basis for the |
| key events that affected Jameson internationally | | | | growing product range of the new company. |
| were the Irish war of Independence and | | | | Products which have extended the power of the |
| subsequent trade war with the British which | | | | Waterford brand beyond its core crystal products |
| denied Jameson the export markets of the | | | | include Waterford China, Waterford Table & |
| Commonwealth, and shortly thereafter, the | | | | Bed Linens, Waterford Stainless Flatware and |
| introduction of prohibition in the United States. | | | | Silver Gifts, Waterford Writing Instruments, |
| While Scottish brands could easily slip across the | | | | Waterford Holiday Heirlooms and Waterford |
| Canadian border, Jameson was excluded from its | | | | Crystal Jewelry. |
| biggest market for many years. It was also a | | | | Waterford Crystal is among the leading brands of |
| fact that the introduction of basic grain whiskey | | | | premium crystal. Its products - superb |
| production using column stills by the Scottish | | | | handcrafted crystal stemware, giftware and |
| blenders in the mid 1800s enabled them to | | | | lightingware - are designed and manufactured to |
| produce vast amounts of almost neutral flavoured | | | | the highest standards. |
| components for blending with some malt whiskey. | | | | The brand's reputation among its target market - |
| This enabled them to create low cost blends that | | | | upscale men and women - in its major markets is |
| the Irish, still using the original Pure Pot Still | | | | such that it has taken the brand to the heights |
| technique could not compete with. | | | | that it now occupies. The target consumers |
| This differing opinion of what a true whiskey | | | | simply regard Waterford Crystal as the best for |
| consisted of culminated in a legal enquiry in 1908. | | | | self and gift purchase. |
| It was a huge turning point in the history of | | | | Recent research has confirmed the standing of |
| whiskey. The Scottish blenders won the case and | | | | Waterford Crystal in both the US and the UK. |
| the blend became recognized in law as being | | | | In November 2000, Waterford Crystal was |
| whiskey. The Irish in general and Jameson in | | | | named as the top world class brand in the United |
| particular stubbornly continued with the traditional | | | | States by a survey conducted among 30,000 |
| Pure Pot Still production process for many years | | | | people by the Princeton, New Jersey, based |
| and, to this day, a large proportion of Jameson is | | | | independent market research company, Total |
| still composed of Pure Pot Still component. | | | | Research Corporation. Total Research said that |
| Jameson also produces a special limited edition | | | | Waterford Crystal was judged by American |
| Pure Pot Still Whiskey, Redbreast to celebrate the | | | | consumers as the brand with the highest quality |
| ancient Irish whiskey making craft. | | | | out of 19 world class brands in the US market. |
| In 1966 John Jameson joined forces with their | | | | Other brands in the league table below Waterford |
| rivals the Cork Distillers company and John | | | | include Rolls-Royce Bentley, Bose stereo and |
| Powers to form the Irish Distillers Group. The new | | | | speaker systems, Philadelphia cream cheese, |
| Midleton distillery built by Irish Distillers now | | | | Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Kodak, Heinz |
| produces most of the Irish whiskey sold in Ireland. | | | | ketchup and National Geographic magazine. |
| The new facility adjoins the old one, which is now | | | | In 2002, Waterford celebrated the 50th |
| a tourist attraction. | | | | anniversary of the introduction of the Lismore |
| Interestingly, the bar that sells the most Jameson | | | | pattern of crystal. Almost every year since its |
| whiskey annually is located in Minneapolis, | | | | inception, Lismore has topped the popularity list |
| Minnesota (USA). In 2008, the Local Irish Pub in | | | | and has been the biggest selling pattern of crystal |
| Minneapolis sold 671 cases of Jameson, 22 bottles | | | | in the US and the world. But there are others |
| a day. | | | | among the repertoire of Ireland's most famous |
| No. 4 Harp Lager | | | | export that have gained their own following - |
| Harp Lager (Harp Irish Lager since 1997) is a pale | | | | Alana, Carina, Araglin. |
| lager brand owned by Diageo. Harp Lager was | | | | |