There's a quiet revolution happening in Irish whiskey, and it doesn't involve a single distillery. It involves three friends, a centuries-old craft that nearly disappeared, and a five-part blend that's making its way into bars and homes across the United States just in time for St. Patrick's Day.
Two Stacks Irish Whiskey, one of only three recognized whiskey bonders operating in Ireland today, has announced a major expansion of its U.S. distribution through a new partnership with Foley Family Wines & Spirits. The flagship product — Two Stacks The First Cut Signature Blend Irish Whiskey — is now available in more than 19 states, including New York, Massachusetts, Florida, and Minnesota, with plans to reach national distribution before the end of the year.
For anyone who takes their whiskey seriously, that's news worth paying attention to.
A Dying Craft, Brought Back to Life
Before the 1930s, Ireland had hundreds of whiskey bonders — craftsmen who had the rare ability to source whiskeys from multiple distilleries, age them further if needed, and blend them into something entirely their own. That tradition nearly vanished. Today, only three recognized bonders remain on the entire island of Ireland. Two Stacks is one of them.
The company was founded in 2020 by Shane McCarthy, Liam Brogan, and Donal McLynn — three men whose friendship stretches back more than 15 years, built on a shared love of Irish culture and a deep respect for the country's whiskey history. Their goal wasn't modest. They set out to change the way the world thinks about Irish whiskey, to reach back into the craft's real roots and create blends complex enough to go toe-to-toe with any whiskey on the planet.
That's a bold claim. But when you look at what they've actually built, it starts to make sense.
What Makes The First Cut Different
Most whiskeys come from a single distillery. The distillery lays down its spirit, ages it in house, and bottles what comes out the other end. There's nothing wrong with that, and some of the world's great whiskeys are made exactly that way. But it's a different animal than what a true bonder does.
Two Stacks works with more than 17 distilleries across Ireland, including names like Killowen, Boann, Adara, Dingle, and Echlinville. The First Cut Signature Blend draws from five distinct whiskeys, each contributing something the others can't. Two Single Grain Whiskeys form the base — one aged in former Kentucky Bourbon casks, the other in virgin American Oak. A Pot Still Whiskey, a style that can only legally be made in Ireland, adds layers of green apple and spice. A Double-Distilled Malt Whiskey brings body and a rich, rounded mouthfeel. And then there's the detail that really sets this blend apart: a small but deliberate addition of Peated Malt Whiskey.
Peat and Irish whiskey aren't words that typically show up in the same sentence. Most drinkers associate smoke with Scotch, particularly from Islay. But Two Stacks co-founder Shane McCarthy is quick to point out that this is more historical accident than tradition. "Peat is typically associated with Scotch, but, in fact, has a rich legacy in Irish whiskey history," McCarthy said. "As recently as the early 1800's, historians noted an abundance of 'smoky' Irish whiskeys, primarily from northwest Ireland, where peat was an abundant fuel source."
Two Stacks is leaning into that forgotten chapter. The Peated Malt used in The First Cut is aged over four years before it ever makes it into the blend, and while it only accounts for two percent of the final product, its impact is anything but small. It extends the finish, adds a layer of complexity that's hard to find anywhere else in the Irish whiskey category, and gives the whole thing a defined, robust character that lingers long after the glass is empty.
The full breakdown sits at 40% Single Grain aged in former Kentucky Bourbon casks, 40% Single Grain aged in virgin American Oak, 8% Pot Still aged in Oloroso Sherry casks, 10% Double-Distilled Malt aged in former Kentucky Bourbon casks, and 2% Peated Malt aged in former Kentucky Bourbon casks. The entire blend comes in at 86 proof.
Transparency as a Selling Point
Something else sets Two Stacks apart from most of the competition, and it has nothing to do with the liquid itself. Every single label on a Two Stacks bottle tells you exactly what's inside and where it came from. The exact percentages of each whiskey. The cask types. The distilleries of origin. All of it, right there on the label.
That level of openness is almost unheard of in whiskey. The industry has a long history of opacity, with blenders and producers keeping their sourcing arrangements close to the chest. Two Stacks takes the opposite approach, treating transparency as a feature rather than a liability. For the kind of drinker who actually wants to understand what he's putting in his glass, that matters.
The First Cut is primarily sourced from Great Northern Distillery, one of Ireland's most respected producers, but the blend reflects relationships across the island. That network of more than 17 distillery partnerships is what gives Two Stacks the flexibility to build blends with real depth and character, rather than working from a single house style.
How It's Packaged
The product comes in two formats. The standard 700 ml bottle is priced at $37.99 and is made from 100% recycled glass. Two Stacks is among the first whiskey brands using bottles made from 80% recycled glass content, finished with all-natural cork and recycled plastic seals — a packaging approach that puts it ahead of most of the industry on the sustainability front.
The more unusual option is the 100 ml Dram in a Can, priced at $4.99. It's exactly what it sounds like: a single-serve portion of The First Cut in a recyclable aluminum can. The idea sounds gimmicky at first, but it serves a real purpose. For anyone who wants a quality whiskey without committing to a full bottle, or who wants to take something worth drinking to a place where glass isn't practical, it's a genuinely useful format. Both products are available online at twostackswhiskey.com, as well as through retailers across the distribution footprint.
The Bigger Picture
The timing of this U.S. expansion isn't accidental. Irish whiskey has been one of the fastest-growing spirits categories in America for years. But as the category has grown, it's also become crowded, and a lot of what fills the shelves is smooth, inoffensive, and largely forgettable. Brands built for people who want something that won't challenge them.
Two Stacks is making a different bet. The company is banking on the idea that there's a growing segment of Irish whiskey drinkers who want more — more complexity, more transparency, more history behind what they're drinking. Drinkers who've worked their way through the standard options and are ready for something that actually has a story worth telling.
The whiskey bonder tradition is that story. It's a craft that survived centuries of political upheaval, economic hardship, and industry consolidation, only to nearly vanish in the 20th century. The fact that it still exists at all — that three people had the ambition and the knowledge to revive it in a serious way — is remarkable. The fact that the whiskey they're producing is genuinely excellent is what makes it worth following.
Two Stacks isn't just trying to sell bottles for St. Patrick's Day. The company is trying to reclaim a corner of Irish whiskey history that most people don't even know was lost, and bring it to an audience that's ready to appreciate it.
Given what's in the glass, that audience might be bigger than anyone expects.
