Bernard and Rosemary Walsh created the Hot Irishman Limited in 1999, with the desire to blend and bottle the perfect Irish Coffee recipe. Expanding upon its success, in 2005 the couple attempted to rival the big Irish cream liqueur brands by creating a recipe that brought things back to basics, with The Irishman Irish Cream liqueur, made using 100% Irish dairy cream and premium Irish whiskey.

However, it wasn’t until 2006 that the Walsh’s began to venture head-on into the world of whisky, when they signed a long-term supply agreement with Irish Distillers – the Whiskey Supply Agreement – allowing for the distilling and laying down of Irish whiskey stock to its specifications. This facilitated the 2007 launch of The Irishman Whiskey, the first singular whiskey released by Walsh, which was followed in 2009 by Writers Tears.

After seventeen years of success Bernard and Rosemary Walsh, in a joint venture with Illva Saronno, who owns the Tia Maria brand and Pat Rigney, the founder of Boru vodka, opened the Royal Oak Distillery in June 2016. In 2019, the partnership between Walsh and Illva Saronno ended, including Walsh’s involvement with the Royal Oak Distillery.