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Ulysses Whiskey x Art brings together the world’s finest artisanal distillers and, over 18 years, pairs them with consecutive Episodes from the modern world’s greatest literary masterpiece, James Joyce’s Ulysses. Episode 1, Telemachus was crafted by the Kilbeggan Distillery in Ireland. Made in the oldest working pot still in the world – a since-decommissioned copper still from the early 1800s – the liquid in this bottle is ultra-rare.
“There is not past, no future; everything flows in an eternal present.” -- James Joyce
An international collaboration of distillers and artists working together to create an unrivalled collection of rare whiskeys, released as 18 Limited Editions over 18 years. Each highly collectible and artisanal bottle is released on Bloomsday, June 16th. This is our collective magnum opus in honour of Joyce, where the sum truly is greater than its parts.
Welcome to the journey!
Kilbeggan Distillery
Nestled along the banks of the meandering River Brosna, Kilbeggan Distillery stands as a testament to Ireland's rich whiskey heritage. With its storied past, unique character, and captivating spirits, this historic distillery invites visitors on a spirited journey through time. Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in Ireland. Matthew MacManus obtained the license to produce whiskey in 1757. The Locke’s family took over the Kilbeggan Distillery in 1843 until it ceased production in 1954 and closed in 1957. In 2007 a working craft-sized distillery was established in one of the old bonded warehouses where they are still producing malt whiskey today. It is boutique, ultra-small batch production, according to traditional methods. On average only two casks are produced at the distillery each day!
Stream of consciousness
With a nod to Joyce’s pioneering use of stream of consciousness, the final bottling, Episode 18, Penelope (in 2041), with only 732 bottles to match the number of pages in the novel when it was first published by Shakespeare & Company in Paris, will be the same liquid as that in Episode 1, Telemachus, albeit aged in casks 18 years longer... During this 18 year journey, the whiskey will evaporate, un-punctuate and dream, so that when we finally take a glass to our nose and lips, we will experience the ecstasy of Leopold and Molly Bloom.
Bloomsday 2024
We look forward to joining friends and revelers this Sunday afternoon, June 16th 2024, at Joyce's Tower in Dalkey, followed by a tour of the Kilbeggan Distillery at 15:30, where we will rejoyce in poetry, song, whiskey and community. This is the beginning of an 18 year Odyssey that all are invited to join!
Our story
For more than a decade, the book now considered the most important work of modernist literature was illegal to sell, advertise or import because it was deemed obscene. Joyce lived in exile, his supporters on the edge of the law. Thankfully with the unwavering support of his wife, Nora Joyce and help from friends such as Sylvia Beach, Harriet Weaver, Adrienne Monnier, W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edward Rockefeller and many others, he managed to stay the course, and the prohibitions were eventually overturned.
One hundred years on, we can now enjoy Ulysses in more than 30 languages, through film, theatre, audio books and of course Bloomsday (the day on which the plot of the entire book unfolds; and is the only annual celebration of a work of art in the world!). Bloomsday 2022 was celebrated across 4 continents, in multiple languages ranging from Vietnamese, Indonesian and Japanese to Portuguese, Hungarian and Croatian.
Leaning into this legacy of Ulysses’ geographic diversity and challenging of norms, we are sourcing Irish, Italian, Swiss, French, German, Czech, English, Scottish, Japanese, Indian, Norwegian and American whiskey (and more) for the 18 Episodes of this limited-edition series.
Inspired by and named for each of the 18 Episodes of the novel, every one-of-a-kind annual release will be a work of art, brought to life by the super-premium spirits hand-selected from our exclusive partner distillers around the world.
Learn more about the Ulysses Whiskey x Art project by visiting www.UlyssesWhiskey.com
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