There’s been a groundswell of new Irish whiskey brands in recent years, which we explored in late 2022 in a special episode supported by the Irish Whiskey Association.

Royal Oak Distillery predates many of the newcomers. It was founded in 2012 by the late Augusto Reina of Illva Saronno, the Italian company that owns renowned liqueur brands Disaronno and Tia Maria.

Located on an 18th century estate in Ireland’s Ancient East barley growing region, Royal Oak is home of The Busker Irish Whiskey, which has recently arrived in Australia.

In this episode, global brand ambassador Woody Kane will share with you the back story behind the distillery, and some of its signature production attributes that define The Busker.

For starters, there’s the importance of local grains, and the fact that Royal Oak produces all three Irish whiskey expressions – malt, grain and pot still – under the same roof.

And then there’s the marsala casks that are a fixture in its barrel store, thanks to parent company Illva’s ownership of Sicilian winery Cantine Florio.

That’s all coming up in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with The Busker Irish Whiskey.

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