Two Stacks Irish Whiskey has “a strong identity and unapologetic viewpoints”, according to Michael Gebrael, Blue Caterpillar’s Co-Founder & CEO
Blue Caterpillar (BC) announces a new partnership with Ireland Craft Beverages (Two Stacks).
Under the agreement, Blue Caterpillar adds Two Stacks’ innovative portfolio to the range of brands it distributes in Americas travel retail.
Michael Gebrael, Blue Caterpillar’s Co-Founder & CEO, says, “BC is proud and humbled to be a part of the Two Stacks brand journey to continue its remarkable growth trajectory in key strategic markets around the globe. Domestically in the US as well as in the EU, the brand continues to dazzle consumers with its high sense of innovation and superb quality.
“Since the very first day, founders Shane, Liam and Donal have constantly been in pursuit of innovation. With their creativity around casks, maturation, blends and finishes, the brand has managed to deliver on every single aspect of the experience.
“Indulging on taste and quality, Two Stacks Irish Whiskey is the perfect example of a brand with strong identity and unapologetic viewpoints. From a branding perspective, the team created a very cohesive look and feel that is inviting and with a tone of voice that is very engaging with the end consumer. The assortment looks remarkable on shelves, and we cannot wait to start the roll out in travel retail Americas with our key strategic retailers.”
Two Stacks Co-Founder Shane McCarthy adds, “The perfect partnership – three words that come to mind after meeting Michael and Christoph from Blue Caterpillar to discuss our global duty free ambitions.
“Not only does BC have a wealth of experience within global duty free, but it also has the same mindset and hunger to work with us on our journey of bringing a true taste of Ireland worldwide.”
Irish whiskeys have performed well in the US for the past 20 years. The category advanced from 434,000 cases in 2002 to 5.9 million nine-liter cases in 2021, an upswing of 17.8% over the previous year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
Sales by value climbed 16% to US$1.3 billion in 2021. DISCUS noted that gains were primarily with high-end premium and super-premium brands, indicating that consumers are trading up.
Figures from DISCUS show that over 10 million bottles of super-premium-priced Irish whiskey were sold in the US in 2021, representing 14% of Irish whiskey sold in the US last year, with super-premium sales up 165% since 2015.
