Outwalker: the making of a new Irish whiskey
Or... the return of Sean Muldoon and Jillian Vose
The role of blender is deeply regarded in the world of whiskey making, with long careers spanning the decades, all the while accumulating a deep knowledge of the whiskey industry.
Take Master Blender Billy Leighton who retired in November 2023 after a 47 year career at Irish Distillers. Accountancy might drive a person to drink, but in Billy’s case it eventually led to his appointment to Master Blender at Midleton Distillery in 2004. His time at the helm coincided with a remarkable renaissance for Irish whiskey and a whole new generation of blenders, including women such as Roe & Co’s master blender Caroline Martin and Irish Distillers’ Deirdre O’Carroll, has risen to the fore.
But maybe it’s time for some disruption. Maybe it’s time to look through a different lens. For instance, what if you are one of the world’s best-known bartenders, known throughout the industry for your great palate, ferocious attention to detail, strong work ethic and just being an all round hospitality legend? Oh, and you’re also half-Irish.
Enter the icon that is Jillian Vose, former Beverage Director at New York’s iconic The Dead Rabbit. My visits to the The Dead Rabbit are literally seared into my memory because of the bartenders’ amazing precision and speed, all the while making you feel as welcome as if you were in your local. And the cocktails weren’t too bad either. I eventually grew disillusioned with following the World’s 50 Best Bars, as I felt it sometimes prioritised show over hospitality, but The Dead Rabbit remains an all time f*cking great. It literally changed how Irish whiskey was seen by the world’s bartenders.
So why talk about Jillian? Along with Darren Cave and Adrian McLaughlin of Dundalk’s Great Northern Distillery and Dead Rabbit co-founder Sean Muldoon, she has created Outwalker, a new Irish whiskey. And on a recent evening, I got the rare opportunity to hear the legendary duo of Jillian and Sean talk all about it, accompanied of course by an Outwalker Irish Coffee from Bar 1661.
Working and tasting from her Manhattan apartment, Jillian downselected 4 different Irish whiskies to form Outwalker - two grain spirits, one aged in virgin American oak, the other in rye casks, a pot still aged in Oloroso casks and finally, a touch of single malt aged in white Burgundy casks. The end result is an Irish whiskey designed both for bartenders and for the younger drinker with notes of butterscotch, citrus, a touch of spice and stone fruit. With a slightly higher than usual ABV of 44.5%, Jillian sees it as ideal for classic stirred drinks such as Manhattans.
With Jillian in charge of taste, Sean set the direction for the look and style. His advice to Great Northern was simple and drew from his years of experience in the world of Irish whiskey. Make it modern and clean. Don’t use Irish words that people can’t pronounce. Don’t fill your marketing with faux mysticism of running Irish streams and so on. The end result is a bottle that can easily take pride of place in the world’s best backbars.
Dead Rabbit co-founders Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry officially parted ways in 2022, although they remain closely connected on many levels. They simply wanted to work at different paces after so many years together. Jack is working to expand the Dead Rabbit brand, while Sean, accompanied by Jillian, is working on Hazel and Apple, their new bar in Charleston.
The choice of name reflects the different ages and experiences that Sean (Hazel) and Jillian (Apple) bring to the new venture, as well as a nod to the W.B. Yeats poem ‘The Song of Wandering Aengus’, a piece that has sentimental value for Sean.
The pace of Charleston differs hugely from New York, eliciting wry smiles from both Sean and Jillian as they talk about challenges with architects and landlords. Sean states honestly that he ‘will never be that arrogant again’ as he was when boldly making the Dead Rabbit ‘the best bar in the world’. Already a year behind schedule, Sean predicts Hazel and Apple to open in late 2024.
Sean states Hazel and Apple will be his last US bar, and talks about his plans to return with his family to Ireland, open a local pub in West Cork and serve pints to locals, while Jillian blends Irish whiskey. But knowing Sean, it will be the best damn local you ever did see.
I really enjoyed this article. I especially like the idea that Outwalker is suitable for cocktails, such as Manhattans, as that is a primary way I enjoy whiskey.