After six years of shady dealings and backroom accords, it seems the Shelby family are making at least one arm of their business legitimate, as they collaborated with Bushmill Distillery to bring to market a Prohibition Recipe Irish Whiskey.
Now of course the Shelby family and their business, Shelby Company Ltd from the TV series, Peaky Blinders is fictional, so in reality, the collaboration with Bushmill has been forged with Caryn Mandabach Productions (Peaky Blinders’ official brand owner and series producer) and Endemol Shine North America (a Banijay company).
Designed to mark the debut of the highly anticipated final season of the hit show on Netflix in the US, the liquid itself will transport drinkers back one hundred years to the iconic Garrison pub, run by the Shelby family. The bold and powerful taste of the limited release is a tribute to the infamous leader of the Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby and his notorious family.
The bottle, a recreation of the vintage Bushmills Irish Whiskey bottle used as a prop within several Peaky Blinders episodes, features design elements authentic to the 1920s era such as a visible cork lid and blue-tinted glass. As a product of the Shelby Company Ltd., the label showcases the family emblem alongside that of the 400-year-old distillery, which is positioned above a sketch of Tommy Shelby himself. An iconic quote, “whiskey is good proofing water, it tells you who’s real and who isn’t” adorns the back label and epitomizes the pivotal role of the drink within the show.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have entered into such a fitting partnership between our show, Peaky Blinders and Bushmills,” says Caryn Mandabach, producer and owner of Peaky Blinders. “We are delighted the US fans can toast the launch of this historic, final season on Netflix with this limited-edition partnership whiskey. In typical Shelby fashion, Tommy is making his mark on the whiskey industry!”
The whiskey packs a Shelby-style punch with bold, intense flavours complemented by a decadent finish. Expertly crafted by revered Master Distiller, Colum Egan to reflect distilling practices that were utilized in the earlier days of whiskey-making, Bushmills Prohibition Recipe is high-proof, non-chill filtered and aged in ex-bourbon casks. For added complexity, Egan separately aged the stock for three, four and five years before blending together to achieve a 92-proof expression that bursts with flavours of rye bread, orange marmalade, almonds, and cinnamon, finishing long and full with zesty citrus oils and vanilla bean.
“With this new release, we celebrate Bushmills’ long history and the continued ageing of whiskey during Prohibition,” said Master Distiller, Colum Egan. “As the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery and one of only a handful of distilleries to survive the 13 long years that preceded repeal day, this whiskey represents uncompromised quality and perseverance in the face of adversity – a story that is shared by both Bushmills and the Peaky Blinders.”
“This limited-edition release is a tribute to the shared stories of Bushmills and the Shelby Family and the exhilarating time in history when the Peaky Blinders ruled the streets and Bushmills ruled the bar,” said Ben Samek, President & Chief Operating Officer, Banijay Americas. “We’re thrilled to be working with Bushmills to offer fans this delicious whiskey that will make them feel like a Shelby family member.”
Bushmills Prohibition Recipe Irish Whiskey is currently available on the e-retailer site, ReserveBar, and in wine and spirits retailers across the country at a suggested retail price of $29.99. Fans of Peaky Blinders and whiskey enthusiasts alike can look forward to a national advertising campaign, co-branded retail suite, influencer campaign and Garrison-inspired pop-up events.
For more information, go to bushmills.com or connect with the brand and the whiskey on Instagram @Bushmillsusa.
