Luxe Radar

Leading female master blenders on the business of Irish whiskey: ‘The growth has been amazing and shows no sign of slowing down’

Irish whiskey is one of the fastest-growing spirit categories of the last decade. Meet the women ageing, blending, bonding – and helping to make it happen

Helen Mulholland was Irish whiskey’s first female master blender (previously at Bushmills Distillery) and the first woman inducted into the Whisky Magazine International Hall of Fame

Rare old liquids are being roused from their slumber inside old toasted barrels for blending and finishing in small-lot configurations. Hot new releases are being snapped up by investors, at prices that skip merrily into the millions.

Limited bottlings are rarified by one-off collaborations or world-first cask combinations. Encrusted with jewels or encased within exquisite craftsmanship, bottles are transformed into unique works of art, as super-premium becomes ultra-premium.

The players are changing too: women now ...