For days and days after the launch of Outwalker Irish Whiskey at Custom House in Belfast the reactions kept coming in. Well, there was so much to talk about after all.

Firstly, there was the chance to meet and hear from the team behind the whiskey – Adrian McLaughlin, Darren Cave, Sean Muldoon and of course, Jillian Vose, who created Outwalker’s extraordinary blend. In fact, Jillian led a tasting session for the assembled VIPs and whiskey connoisseurs, where she explained how she had painstakingly assembled the whiskey’s layers through its unique four-part casking. Each element – – the white burgundy casks, the virgin oak, the rye barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks – contributes a distinctive note, she explained. “The grain whiskeys aged in virgin oak and ex-rye made a great backbone for the whiskey, bringing classic spiciness and vanilla but also some interesting tropical notes. The pot still aged in ex-Oloroso casks brought richness and body, and a layer of nuttiness that really compliments the fruit notes from the white burgundy cask-aged single malt. This brought everything together beautifully.”

It takes a truly expert palate to create something as complex yet as accessible as Outwalker, whether it’s neat, on the rocks ­– or in a great whiskey-based cocktail. Which, of course, Jillian had also prepared for the occasion.

The rest of the evening was given over to enjoying these; the catering, courtesy of Ulster University’s Department of International Hospitality Management; a lot of mingling, great music from DJ @Kem.nat. and a little mischief at the after-party at the Duke of York. (But what happens in the Duke stays in the Duke.)

All in all, an event that was both brilliantly entertaining and deliciously educational. In other words, an ideal mix.