Hall of Fame

With a career spanning 20 years in marketing and innovation for the Irish Distillers’ portfolio of Irish whiskeys, Brendan Buckley’s approach to brand building has played a central role in the renaissance of Irish whiskey. Having worked in a number of marketing roles in Irish Distillers and currently holding the position of international marketing director, Brendan is a self-described ‘whiskey fan who happens to work in marketing’.

With Jameson at the forefront of the resurgence of Irish whiskey, Brendan has been amongst a number of influential figures who, over the past two decades, have built Jameson into one of the world’s leading spirits brands. Brendan also played a leading role in reigniting the single pot still Irish whiskey category when, in 2011, he spearheaded the revival of this uniquely Irish whiskey style in conjunction with his distilling colleagues at Midleton Distillery: Barry Crockett, Dave Quinn and Billy Leighton.

Since then, Brendan’s vision for reawakening the single pot still category has fuelled major launches such as Powers John’s Lane, Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy, Redbreast Lustau Edition, Redbreast 27 Years Old and the rebirth of the historic Yellow Spot, Red Spot and Blue Spot whiskeys, shaping global consumer whisk(e)y trends and sparking wider interest in this flavourful style.

In innovation, he is responsible for the birth of the Method and Madness brand, a ground-breaking family of whiskeys and gin that push the boundaries of Irish spirits, both in liquid experimentation and creative branding.

Further strengthening the position of the world’s best-loved Irish whiskey, Brendan has successfully expanded the Jameson family to attract a broader audience with innovative expressions such as Jameson Triple Triple, Jameson Cold Brew and The Caskmates Series.