Whiskey-Trained: Hanging With 2 Gingers’ Kieran Folliard

, Whiskey-Trained: Hanging With 2 Gingers’ Kieran Folliard

We don’t write about spirits here at ACB… It’s all we can do to keep up with the American craft beer scene and besides, we know absolutely nothing about the whiskey world. That’s why I was perplexed when Kara Pinato invited me up to Minneapolis to spend time with Kieran Folliard and get a taste for what he was doing.

I’d worked with Kara in the past and have learned that when she’s excited about something, I need to pay attention. And she insisted that this was something I should do. So last week, I headed up to Minneapolis – home to 10,000 lakes, some killer breweries, Prince, and Purple Rain – to see what the deal was.

, Whiskey-Trained: Hanging With 2 Gingers’ Kieran FolliardAnd that’s where I met 2 Gingers’ Kieran Folliard, a transplanted Irishman and a force of nature if ever there was one.

What is it about the Irish that makes them so much fun to drink with?

Whether it’s nature or nurture, drinking with the Irish is just a whole different thing. Equal parts good-hearted celebration and an honest appreciation of the drinking experience, interspersed with practiced story-telling, playful banter, and warmth, “drinking Irish” is a high that’s unique in so many ways. And Kieran Folliard has clearly mastered all of them.

It also doesn’t hurt to have some decent Irish whiskey on hand either…And that’s something that he’s mastered as well.

, Whiskey-Trained: Hanging With 2 Gingers’ Kieran FolliardKieran’s lived in Minneapolis for over seventeen years and you quickly get that loves this far-north, Midwestern city as much as he loves his native land. And as the Founder & CEO of 2 Gingers, the blended Irish whisky that he created (and named after his redheaded mother and aunt), he gets back to Ireland regularly. 

Because that’s where 2 Gingers comes from -THAT’S WHERE ALL IRISH WHISKY COMES FROM.

I know, stupid right? But as I’ve explained, I know very little about whiskey. Thankfully, Kieran was patient – and his passion for his craft was infectious. You see, he sees what he’s doing as no different from what’s going on now with craft beer – and he’s totally right about that.

Here are some more things that I learned while hanging with Kieran…

Whiskey (like craft beer) is borne of passion and love – as well as of attention to detail. And Kieran insists that like beer, you can’t bullshit your way through it. Along with his Master Distiller at the Kilbeggan Distillery, Noel Sweeney, he’s spent years refining what would become 2 Gingers and his eyes glisten whenever he talks about it.

Irish whiskey doesn’t have to be fancy – but it must be true. You see, Kieran wanted to create something that was both finely crafted and accessible. Character without the harshness…A quality whiskey that’s absent the bite and smooth to the tongue. A progression of unfolding notes that gives way to a warm and welcoming backend. 

Most Irish whiskeys are blended, distilled, and aged in differing increments. Jameson’s flagship, for example, is distilled three times in the process and then aged for three years. 2 Gingers, on the other hand, is only distilled twice – but it’s aged for four years – in order to create a whiskey that drinks neat on the rocks but also works in a cocktail.

Kieran wanted to craft an Irish whiskey that might serve as an alternative to beer – something that could be enjoyed at any time of the day. So he invented (and trademarked!) the Big Ginger and Skinny Ginger cocktails – a refreshingly simple showcase that’s made with ginger ale (Skinny Ginger does diet), his Irish whiskey on ice, and a wedge of lemon and lime. 2 Gingers cocktails are now served all over the Twin Cities, and you can even find them at the Xcel Energy Center, the nation’s leading hockey arena and home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. 

Being able to hang out and be “whiskey-trained” by an expert like Kieran Folliard is one of the great things about what I do at ACB. This guy’s the real deal and someone worth watching. He’s put in the time and is doing some special things at 2 Gingers. 

And if you think you don’t care about Irish whiskey, you might want to reconsider things…

I know that I have.

 

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