Kilkenny’s best known brew, Smithwick’s has been awarded two gold medals in the prestigious ‘Monde Selection Quality Selections 2010’ for both Smithwick’s Superior Irish Ale and the brand’s variant brewed for the American market.
The medals will be presented at an official ceremony on May 30 in Wiesbaden, Frankfurt in Germany.
The awards were initially announced at the Smithwick’s 300 celebrations hosted in Kilkenny at St Francis Abbey Brewery recently.
Founded in 1961 in Brussels, Monde Selection tests consumer goods from all over the world to grant them an internationally renowned quality award. The bronze, silver and gold quality labels awarded can be compared to the quality stars of a hotel or those of the Michelin Guide.
“This award showcases the quality and credibility of Smithwick’s as a resurging brand in Ireland”, commented Ian Hamilton, Operations Manager of the St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny.
“It is also fitting that Smithwick’s receive this recognition as the brand celebrates its 300th year”.
Last month, to commemorate 300 years of great brewing tradition in Kilkenny, an exhibition entitled “300 years of Smithwick’s” was unveiled at the St Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny. The exhibition illustrates the craft that goes into making Smithwick’s and the long brewing tradition in Kilkenny.
Diageo has supported the brand’s anniversary with a complete overhaul of the Smithwick’s image with new livery, bar taps and a suit of advertising and promotional campaigns. Its performance is growing not just inside the heartlands of Kilkenny and Carlow but also in the South, North West and the West of Ireland. Outside Ireland, Smithwick’s is now the number one imported ale to North America and Canada.
