In the past, distilleries produced advertising material with their distillery, brand and drinks names on mirrors, signs, etc. These were given out to pubs who sold their products. Some of these advertisements still adorn the walls of pubs to this day. They have survived the ups and downs of the whiskey industry and are a nostalgic reminder of the old good times and the often forgotten brands and distilleries of old.
Today’s pick is a lovely old sign from Cork Distilleries Company. Paddy is an Irish whiskey made by the Cork Distilleries Company (founded in 1867).  It was initially called "Cork Distillery Company Old Irish Whiskey" – a bit of a mouthful! After the Famine, the smaller distilleries realized that they could not survive alone, so Daly’s, the Green, North Mall, and the Watercourse distilleries came together to form one distillery. In 1882, they hired a young energetic man named Paddy Flaherty to sell their whiskey. He traveled throughout County Cork and Ireland advertising the golden liquid. His sales technique was to offer free rounds in the pubs he visited. This worked so well, that when the whiskey was empty and the publicans changed the barrels, they would remember the generous young man and "Paddy Flaherty's whiskey". Because Paddy was so popular with both punters and publicans alike, the distillery changed its name to the much easier to remember "Paddy Irish Whiskey" in his honor. Even today, Paddys is sold in practically every pub in Ireland and is one of Ireland's most exported whiskey.