REFOREST KILLARNEY: Sir Maurice O’Connell pictured with one of the bottles with the ‘Killarney Plant a Tree’ tag. 

After the devastating fires in the Killarney National Park, Killarney-based Wayward Irish Spirits has pledged for every bottle of The Liberator Irish Whiskey sold in May and June it will donate to www.reforestationnation.ie to plant a tree in Killarney.

A ‘Killarney Plant a Tree’ tag will be attached to the neck of each bottle highlighting the initiative and, hopefully, will encourage others to follow.

“The whole country has been devastated by the scale of the damage from the fire that has destroyed so much of our unique protected habitats," founder Sir Maurice O’Connell said.

"The Killarney National Park was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981 and the extent of the impact on the local ecosystem will take time to be fully understood. We’ve been planting trees here on the Lakeview Estate for generations but not in the numbers that are required to meet this challenge. This can only be achieved as part of a larger project. We wanted to get the ball rolling as soon as possible so we’re donating now to Reforestation Nation’s efforts to plant trees locally. We’ve donated in advance to cover 671 trees. We will also revisit our own planting plans in light of this recent disruption to the local wildlife.

He added that they are privileged to be based on the shores of Loch Leane, rich in its beauty and biodiversity.

"We will be looking at further initiatives to do our part to reforest Killarney and help to rebuild the local ecosystem.”

Wayward Irish Spirits has also released its latest Storehouse Special, a Cask Strength version of their popular blended Whiskey, The Liberator Small Batch – Double Port.

“Our Storehouse Specials are small scale releases of interesting whiskeys from our Bonded Storehouse called ‘The House of Contentment’ or test releases of potential new products.”

They are also delighted that The Liberator Irish Whiskey has been taken on by Musgrave’s Food Academy Programme which promotes local suppliers, leading to the opportunity to pitch to SuperValu stores in Kerry. "The programme offers mentoring and dedicated in-store displays. We are already stocked in SuperValu Killarney, Killorglin, Cahersiveen and Ballybunion, and hope that this coverage will increase shortly."