{"id":3982,"date":"2018-11-19T11:31:06","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T16:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=3982"},"modified":"2018-11-22T18:55:07","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T23:55:07","slug":"entrepreneur-jack-walsh-gives-birth-to-flaming-leprechaun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=3982","title":{"rendered":"Entrepreneur Jack Walsh Gives Birth To Flaming Leprechaun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
Entrepreneur Jack Walsh with Irish\u2008Examiner USA publisher Paddy McCarthy<\/figcaption><\/figure>By Brad Balfour<\/em><\/p>\n

At Irishexaminerusa\u2019s latest Irish Man and Woman of The Year celebration, Flaming Leprechaun Irish Whiskey will be part of the event, too. Jack Walsh, Managing General Partner of 3 Hearts of Ireland, heads one of the companies producing this new Irish Whiskey and join the festivities with tastings for all to try. Walsh has been growing the brand since its October, 2016 launch in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

Recently, Boston\u2019s 3 Hearts and Malcolm Brown Ltd. (of Dundalk, Ireland) \u2014 the Flaming Leprechaun Spirits\u2019 owners \u2014 announced that their continued New England expansion has led them to introduce the brand to Connecticut. Brescome Barton, Inc. of North Haven \u2013 the state\u2019s largest distributor of spirits, wine and beer \u2014 will market and distribute all of Flaming Leprechaun\u2019s award-winning products across the Nutmeg State. <\/p>\n

Said Walsh, \u201cAfter three extremely successful launches in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, now is the right time for us to further expand to Southeastern New England and the great state of Connecticut. There\u2019s no a better organization for us to partner with than the team at Brescome Barton. Their reputation for sales and service excellence is beyond reproach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving this new premium brand\u2019s development, the 53-year-old Massachusetts native has a passion for all things Irish. So, when this successful businessman \u2014 an executive in a large-scale waste carting business \u2014 saw the opportunity to merge his love for business with love for his heritage, he jumped at the chance. \u201cWaste is a recession-proof industry,\u201d he noted with a smile, \u201ceven if not exactly the most glamorous industry to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

About a decade ago, he explained, several businesspeople approached him about developing a waste-to-energy facility in Ireland. They hoped to take barley waste from distilling alcohol, haul it to a conversion facility and turn it into electricity, which would then power the distillery.<\/p>\n

Said Walsh. \u201cI was fascinated. It\u2019s a great idea to convert something that has no value into something that\u2019s value-added.\u201d
\nThough the energy-producing idea was inspiring, Walsh was more excited by what he saw of Ireland during his multiple trips there. With his introduction to the spirits-producing industry, he knew he wanted to create a naturally distilled whiskey in Ireland that could be imported to the U.S. He also found himself fascinated with the legend and history of Irish whiskey. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhiskey is historic in Ireland,\u201d he said, explaining that, \u201cI came up with the drink\u2019s name and logo. It\u2019s hard not to smile at the image of the small, frowning leprechaun on the labels. I\u2019ve had some objection to the image \u2014 some people have objected to the Irish stereotype \u2014 but as soon as they sip the whiskey, any complaints fade away!\u201d
\nAs been noted in Wikipedia and elsewhere, Irish whiskey has seen a resurgence in popularity since the late 20th century. It\u2019s been the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990. With exports growing by over 15% every year, existing distilleries have expanded with a number of new ones constructed. So now seems as good a time as any for Walsh\u2019s idea of a new top-quality spirit produced in Ireland.<\/p>\n

In 2010, Walsh\u2019s partner opened the Malcolm Brown distillery in Dundalk, Ireland, about a half-hour north of Dublin. That same year Walsh created his 3 Hearts of Ireland, a Massachusetts company to import Flaming Leprechaun. The venture is now quite a family business, involving several of his 10 children who range between the ages of 15 to 29 (Walsh\u2019s eldest son Jack\u2019s birthday is November 19th); and he has six daughters and four sons. As Walsh added, \u201cSince I consider myself very Irish, my visits have been a great opportunity to explore the country, itself, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He actually became deeply aware of his Irish affinities long ago. \u201cProbably my most distinct memory was around 44 years ago, when I was watching the St Patrick\u2019s South Boston Parade as an eight- or nine-year-old. My grandfather was a Boston policeman and took us to South Boston to watch the parade. That event burned into my memory the core idea of the fun-loving spirit of the Irish people!\u201d<\/p>\n

Though excited by his Irish heritage, Walsh never expected to build a business based on it … nor it would become a cornerstone of his professional life. As he explained, \u201cI have always heard the whisper from Ireland, but I only started to listen to it six years ago when I met my Irish partners. A special friendship has evolved into a special brand. Part of the Irish heritage is about pushing doors open, overcoming obstacles, scrapping the way forward, and never leaving friends or family behind. That spirit is a testament to the Irish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to whiskey experts, the reactions to this new drink are just as enthusiastic as Walsh\u2019s own feeling for his grandparents\u2019 homeland. Last September, after several days of tasting and evaluating, the New York World Wine And Spirits Competition judges awarded Flaming Leprechaun\u2019s Special Reserve Irish Whiskey a Silver Medal. Their ever-popular Fiery Cinnamon Whiskey earned a Bronze Medal and Flaming Leprechaun\u2019s Triple Distilled Rum won a Silver Medal. <\/p>\n

These awards followed the results from the previous year at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, when Flaming Leprechaun captured a total of five medals (one for each of their products) including a pair of \u201cDouble Gold\u201d medals won in the Vodka and Gin categories. \u201cWe are proud to win again, this time in New York City, in the three categories we competed in,\u201d said Walsh. \u201cThere were thousands of entries in each group from all over the world; for Flaming Leprechaun the repeat wins are such an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s premium products now include a Special Reserve Blended Irish Whiskey (92 proof), Limestone Filtered Celtic Gin (88 proof), Limestone Filtered Vodka (80 proof), a Triple Distilled Rum (80 proof), and their extremely popular Fiery Irish Cinnamon Spirit (70 proof). Walsh\u2019s Flaming Leprechaun is already a huge hit in his home state. It\u2019s been receiving impressive advance reviews in many of the major spirits publications. <\/p>\n

This distinctively Irish brand offers an alternative to the millennial palate at a competitive price. It combines Irish spring water and a special limestone filtration process combine to create a truly special blend. Each bottle is produced and packaged to the highest standards before being imported from Ireland. No propylene glycol whatsoever is used in Flaming Leprechaun products. All of this attention to authenticity and quality is symbolized by the Eire\u2019s most endearing mystical character \u2013 the Leprechaun.<\/p>\n

\u201cKing Ultan (Irish Whiskey), Fintan (Fiery Cinnamon), Lorcan (Vodka), Ronan (Gin) and Brendan (Rum) are the Leprechauns behind the spirits,\u201d explained Walsh. Each Leprechaun\u2019s story and distinct personality is told through a series of original poems on the back label of the every bottle. \u201cAnd yes,\u201d Walsh chuckled, \u201cwe plan to develop these little guys as characters in their own right, maybe even with their own comic books!\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Boston on February 25, 1964, Walsh explained his connection to both his local roots as well to Ireland. \u201cI\u2019ve spent 24 years here, so I\u2019d say, \u2018Go Red Sox, Go Celtics, Go Patriots, Go Bruins\u2019\u201d he noted with a smile. Some of his defining early memories include his working class Irish Catholic Family. <\/p>\n

\u201cMother was a nurse, and my father worked for the phone company. They worked hard, had fun, and went to church. Remember, our priority has been family and friends. I first started with the carting waste business over 30 years ago and opened my waste development company in 2003. I\u2019ve been on my own for 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now that his life has taken this whole new turn, Walsh looks forward to the future as never before. \u201cOur brand was launched successfully in Massachusetts in 2016 \u2013 on October 31st, Halloween and All Saints Day, November 1st. It\u2019s a very difficult state to launch in but the results have been exciting. <\/p>\n

\u201cNew York state is even more expensive and about four times larger, so the process takes time. Our strategy is to release the brand in key NYC locations and grow outward from there. Our grassroots brand is picking up steam; the Irish-green snow ball is growing steadily. As we look ahead to the future, for us at Flaming Leprechaun, every day is St. Patrick\u2019s Day!\u201d<\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>