Work hard. Punch out. Enjoy a sip or two of the good stuff. Wake up and do it again. That was life for thousands of blue-collar immigrants who left Ireland in the early 1880s and settled in the historic Irish Channel neighborhood on the banks of the Mississippi.

Whether digging the New Basin Canal or manning the thriving local docks, this was back-breaking stuff, well before sick leave and Casual Fridays. So it’s with particular pride that we salute these sturdy folk — and their German, Italian and African-American comrades — with a small-batch blended whiskey made in the Irish tradition. While we can’t claim it has restorative properties, this fine spirit does radiate good times that make the day’s toil all worth it.