The Irish Whiskey Collection Shop - T2 Dublin Airport
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The new Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport opened in November 2010. Designed to make passengers' arrivals and departure as smooth and as enjoyable as possible, it offers a myriad of interesting and trendy shops. Taking pride of place in this shoppers' emporium is the Irish Whiskey Collection.
The Irish Whiskey Collection store is undoubtedly the world's best travel retail shop for Irish whiskeys. It boasts more Irish brands than any other airport shop in the world, with around 125 different Irish whiskeys in total. The selection of course includes all the regular favourites, with the full family range of whiskeys from Jameson, Tullamore Dew and Tyrconnell and lesser known brands like Greenspot, Crested Ten, Coleraine and Lockes, which are well established in Ireland, but near impossible to find abroad. What makes the Irish Whiskey Collection shop stand out from the crowd however, is the sheer effort they have gone to to source every Irish whiskey produced today. Names such as Inis Turk Beg, J. L O'Sullivan, The Palace Bar and Slane Castle don't normally conjure up images of whiskey bottles, but these are all Irish whiskeys, whose distribution is either limited or normally restricted to markets such as the U.S. The Irish Whiskey Collection has gone one step further, asking some of Ireland's distilleries to produce exclusive bottlings for the shop. Currently these exclusive editions are the Greenore 19 Year Old Single Grain, the oldest bottling of a Single Grain Irish Whiskey in the world and the 18 Year Old Midleton Single Pot Still Single Cask, chosen by Whisky Magazine in February 2011 as their favourite new release.
The Irish Whiskey Collection is very much the concept of Gerry Crawford, Head of Retail for the Dublin Airport Authority. Gerry's commitment to providing the best whiskey shopping environment for passengers extends much further than just providing a huge variety of whiskeys. The shop itself is striking, fitted out in a high-gloss black lacquer finish and a stunning black Tipperary Crystal chandelier. All the staff in the Irish Whiskey Collection have undergone extensive whiskey training and have visited all the Irish distilleries. The store includes a miniature version of the Whiskey Trail, giving passengers interesting information on topics such as Ireland's lost distilleries and how to make the perfect Irish Coffee. The DAA also commissioned Ireland's best known whiskey expert, Heidi Donelon, to write a whiskey book specifically for the Celtic Whiskey Collection. The book provides a wealth of information on Irish whiskey, its origins, distilling techniques and types of whiskey, as well as a comprehensive guide to the many brands available in store.
Many travel retail shops are often lacking that warm and friendly atmosphere. This is where the Irish Whiskey Collection store differs. Staff are not only knowledgeable, but also refreshingly enthusiastic and friendly. The store is located in T2's main departures area, but passengers departing from Terminal 1 can also access the shop. They will need to give themselves a little extra time after clearing security in T1 for the 5 minute detour to take them to T2. Passengers living in Ireland can avail also of the Shop and Collect service offered, thereby collecting their purchases upon returning to Ireland, and as such removing the temptation to enjoy that whiskey before returning home!
The Irish Whiskey Collection – Terminal 2, Dublin Airport
Tel. +353 (0)1 9440752
Web: www.theloop.ie
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