2 Gingers Irish Whiskey “is a blended Irish whiskey that is inspired by the humor, passion and can-do attitude that come along with being Irish” according to Beam-Suntory. Though, as is often the case, the story behind that sound bite is far more interesting. The 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey is actually the brain child of Kieran Folliard, the owner of 4 well known Irish pubs in Minnesota, who decided that after many years of slinging whiskey he wanted to sourced and blend his own.
The name 2 Gingers is an homage to Folliard’s mom and aunt. Folliard initially created the whiskey in 2011 to be sold and used in his bars and the brand quickly gained traction. Enough traction and renown that Beam-Suntory bought the brand in 2012 with an eye to take this brand across the United States and be a major competitor in the Irish Whiskey market.
2 Gingers Irish Whiskey Info
Region: County Louth, Ireland
Distiller: Cooley
Mashbill: Blend of Irish Single Malt (100% Malted Barley) + Grain Whiskey
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $26 (I’ve seen it as low as $17 for St.Paddy’s)
2 Gingers Irish Whiskey Review
EYE
Straw
NOSE
Honey, banana, fruit, malt, vanilla, light dried apricot and baking powder. It’s exactly what I expected it to smell like and that’s not a let down. It’s crisp and well structured, just not very complex.
PALATE
Honey, banana heavy fruit, malt, vanilla, nuts, light spice and dried fruit. Like the palate it’s about what I expected and on the whole isn’t a bad tasting whiskey.
FINISH
Medium finale of dried fruit, honey, malt and grainy sweetness.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Has an ok balance that rests on a thin body with a flat watery feel.
OVERALL
The most positive thing I can say about the 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey is that it tastes better than its cousin the Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey. It has a great origin story, a nicely composed aroma, palate and finish and I wanted to like it, but it came together so light and thin I almost fell asleep while drinking it.
One of the driving forces behind the marketing of the 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey is a cocktail called the Big Ginger which is just a Jameson & Ginger minus the Jameson. They also market a Skinny Ginger cocktail which substitutes diet Ginger Ale and thankfully doesn’t call for any atrocious Skinny Girl products. Though I have a hard time imagining the whiskey standing out against the soda pop in either cocktail.
In the end my synopsis for the 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey would be this. It’s not too shabby for being a whiskey that was basically created for mixing with Ginger Ale and doing shots in pubs in Minnesota.
SCORE: 81/100
