Conor McGregor has released his own line of Irish whiskey. The MMA star announced the news on Instagram, explaining how excited he was about the finished product, dubbed Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey.
“Proper Irish Whiskey, from a Proper Irish Man!” he wrote in a caption alongside a picture of himself sitting at a bar with a bottle next to him.
McGregor explained that he has spent a “lifetime” studying whiskey production under the guidance of his maternal grandfather, Christopher “Jakes” Moore. It took him three years to make his dream come true—a bit longer than he expected, according to a press release.
The name of the beverage comes from McGregor’s Irish roots. He was born and raised in the Dublin suburb Crumlin, also known as Dublin 12. “It’s a place dear to my heart,” he explained, “It’s where I learned how to fight; it made me who I am today. It’s a place I’m still very much a part of every single day of my life.”
He added on Instagram, “I wanted to make an Irish whiskey emblematic of Irish culture as a whole, and something that would showcase the great skill we possess of distilling the best Whiskey in the entire world.”
The whiskey is crafted in Ireland’s oldest distillery. “It is made with the Isle’s freshest spring water and finest golden grain and single malt – it is pure liquid gold!” McGregor gushed, calling it his “gift to the world.”
McGregor teamed up with master distiller David Elder, who previously worked at Guinness, to develop the whiskey, which is owned by the athlete’s company, Eire Born Spirits. After creating nearly 100 blends, they finally narrowed it down to one.
Proper No. 12 is described as “complex and sophisticated yet smooth and approachable with hints of vanilla, honey and toasted wood.”
A portion of the profits from each case of whiskey will be donated to first responders in the district in which it’s sold—all over the world. The company will commit up to $1 million annually to first responder organizations.
“These are the men and women who run into buildings while everyone else is running out. They are our real-life heroes – Proper Heroes,” McGregor commented.
The whiskey will initially be available in Ireland and the United States with plans for expansion in 2019.
McGregor will next enter the Octagon on Saturday, Oct. 6. He’s challenging undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
