Simon Wittenberg takes a look at Project Wingman, Redbreast Irish Whiskey’s collaboration with BirdLife International, to create a limited edition bird feeder bottle, which will raise €30,000 for bird and habitat conservation.

Like a tipple and supporting good causes? Well, Redbreast Irish Whiskey may have the perfect solution for you this winter. Earlier this year, the Irish Distillers brand teamed up with BirdLife International, the world leader in bird conservation, and one of the results of this collaboration is Project Wingman.

This translates as a full-sized bottle of the popular and award-winning Red Breast 12, encased in a stunning removable copper bird feeder with a red leather strap to hang it on a tree branch or hook. This thereby allows buyers to enjoy the single pot still Irish whiskey, whilst also helping to protect and keep feathered friends from going hungry as the mercury drops.

Only 2,000 limited edition bird feeder bottles are being made available in batches of 500, priced at €60 each (around £54), of which €15 is being donated each time to BirdLife International. The first allocation went on sale on 16th November, with the remainder up for grabs every Monday from 09:00 GMT until 07th December.

When looking at Redbreast’s Instagram page, there’s demand as far afield as the USA, Canada and Australia, but it appears that shipping is not available to these markets as yet. The remaining batches of 500 will be on sale every Monday from 09:00 GMT until 07th December 2020, with the clock ticking down to each of the weekly events.

According to the information released by the distillery in Ireland, at least 40% of all bird species are in decline, which means that the partnership will also raise vital funds to conserve and restore habitats and help encourage whiskey-lovers to monitor bird populations so that deeper environmental problems (and successes) can be rapidly identified.

Laura Hanratty, Head of Prestige and Speciality Brands at Irish Distillers, explains that working closely with BirdLife International honours their mission of helping to protect not only Robins but all common birds, as we move into the colder months and food starts to become more difficult to find.

Talking about the collaboration, Patricia Zurita, CEO of BirdLife International, said that it wasn’t just about the whiskey casing being beautiful, but it was also about supporting birds through a cold winter by providing them with a valuable source of food. Whether they’re garden birds or migratory species passing through, she explained that all kinds will benefit from this, not just Robin Redbreasts and that the bird feeder will help spread awareness of the simple, yet important things we can all do to help protect birds.

It’s a great cause to support, and we are sure that all 2,000 bird feeder bottles will literally fly off the shelf. The countdown is on, so don’t be late!

Redbreast Irish Whiskey and BirdLife International – Where and How?

To find out more about the bird feeder and the partnership between Redbreast Irish Whiskey and BirdLife International, please visit www.redbreastwhiskey.com or www.birdlife.org.

The limited-edition Redbreast 12-Year-Old with the copper bird feeder casing is available to pre-order at www.redbreastwhiskey.com/en-EN/project-wingman at a price of €60 (around £54), excluding postage, and will ship to customers from 09th December 2020.

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