IRELAND. Aer Rianta International (ARI) and Walsh Whiskey have partnered to offer travellers a virtual reality distillery tour at The Loop, Dublin Airport.
The three-minute tour is part of a Walsh Whiskey pop-up shop which is operating in Terminal 2 throughout July and August.
Using a virtual reality headset, travellers can visit the whiskey maker’s distillery on the 18th century Royal Oak estate in County Carlow. They can experience the ancient craft of distilling and see how all three styles of Irish whiskey – pot still, malt and grain – are distilled in the one still house, Walsh Whiskey said.
Passengers can also enjoy a complimentary (real life) tasting of either The Irishman or Writers’ Tears. Whiskey ambassadors are on hand to talk passengers through The Irishman and Writers’ Tears portfolios and facilitate the virtual reality distillery tour.
Walsh Whiskey Distillery was commissioned in 2016 and has the capacity to produce 8.5 million bottles of whiskey annually. The distillery is hand-operated, which gives the distillers total control over the distillation process.
The virtual reality experience was created by specialist virtual reality producers The VR Agency.
Launching the virtual reality distillery tour, Walsh Whiskey Distillery founder and Managing Director Bernard Walsh said: “We are delighted to bring the first ever virtual reality distillery experience to passengers in The Loop, Dublin Airport. It is both fun and informative and we hope passengers enjoy what is a unique way of experiencing our distillery and whiskeys, as well as being an introduction to the artful science of Irish whiskey distillation.”
ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco and Confectionery Paul Hunnisett commented: “ARI is delighted to partner with Walsh Whiskey Distillery on this innovative 21st century travel retail experience. I’ve always been fascinated by the whiskey distillation process and have visited lots of distilleries in Ireland and Scotland, but I was blown away by the level of detail and interaction in this virtual distillery tour.
“It’s great fun and really takes the customer experience to a whole new level. Irish whiskey is renowned as a dynamic category and this commitment to innovation will help secure its growth and customer appeal long into the future.”
