The Busker Irish Whiskey was the Whiskey, Bourbon and Scotch category winner of WSWA’s 2023 Brand Battle. This brand is a “new to world” Irish Whiskey, born out of a modern Ireland.
After the Brand Battle category session, The Busker team told WSWA more about the brand. The Busker will represent the whiskey, bourbon and scotch category live, on-stage in the 2023 Brand Battle Championship at Access LIVE.
Tell us about your brand. What inspired you to create it? What makes it unique?
The Busker is the only brand offering the full Irish Whiskey experience proudly producing all types of Irish Whiskey (Single Grain, Single Malt, Single Pot Still) under one roof at Royal Oak Distillery. Thanks to the fact that we control 100% of our production we are able to deliver exceptional quality Irish Whiskey recognized by the most important awards. Recently we have been ranked as the only range above 92 points on Wine Enthusiast!
The brand is born to be bold with a disruptive approach in the industry with a craft, modern and straightforward look, and feel, that goes beyond the Irish Whiskey category.
A disruptive pack and an outstanding quality to let people discover and enjoy the Irish Whiskey Experience.
Tell us about your portfolio and what’s next for your brand.
Our distillery and our Master blender never sleep, we are working on a Super Premium SKU (Limited edition) in order to show once more the amazing liquids that we are able to deliver from our distillery.
Stay tuned to discover more in the second half of this year…
Why did you decide to enter the 2023 Brand Battle competition?
The opportunity to showcase the uniqueness and quality of our brand to the industry at the most perfect time for the Whiskey category.
How does it feel to be the winner of this category?
Overwhelming but exciting. To be chosen from this highly competitive set is a sense of accomplishment and pride. It is an honor to have won in this category as we look at the amazing brands that are out there. We are focused on creating a brand that will be here for a long time and want to be recognized for the quality we offer and the moments we create for our consumers. It speaks to the nature of who we are as a brand and shows that the dedication we instill in our brand is being recognized by the industry.
What are you looking forward to most while at Access LIVE?
It has been a while since the last WSWA event and the opportunity to see what is new and up and coming within the industry along with hearing the key insights from some of the top Industry leaders.
How will you leverage your time at Access LIVE to build new or grow existing relationships with wholesalers and other members of the industry?
We are planning one-on-one conversations with our wholesale networks over the event and spending time at their select activation centers. We are thrilled to be a part of this industry and enjoy seeing new and old faces.
How will you work to perfect your pitch as you prepare for the Championship?
The key for us in this pitch is focusing on our consumers and what we offer them. As I am from Ireland and not living here in the US, there was a desire to get to know the current American consumer better. To this end, I have taken the Busker Blitz earlier than organized and spent time in the market talking to those on the ground to discover how their perception of the brand lends to our consumers as well as doing some consumer-focused events where I can also explore what they are looking for and meet those expectations.
At the heart of The Busker is that desire to offer and create quality moments so we can let our consumers know we are there to enhance their experience while offering an approachable Irish Whiskey in both palate and price so that as we grow as a brand... they too will grow with us.