Irish Mist: the story of Tullamore’s legendary liqueur 1945–1985, published with the support of Creative Ireland, recalled the making of a product that brought the name of Tullamore to 100 countries.

The former staff took the lead in a team effort. Drawing also on the company archives to celebrate the design, production and marketing of Irish Mist while bringing together people of diverse skills over the forty years of its association with Tullamore.

The book was about having a record available for the people who contributed to making the Irish Mist product so successful during the years it was manufactured and marketed from Tullamore.

Initially the liqueur product (the first made in Ireland) was about finding a use for the excess stocks of whiskey in the Tullamore distillery after the busy years during the Second World War. Later it was about developing quality and finding markets especially in the United States and Canada. Sales greatly improved from the early 1960s and up to 80 were employed.

The recession of the early 1980s, the move away from ‘brown liqueurs’, and the need for significant funds to improve market share led to the sale of Irish Mist and the move to Clonmel in 1985.

In 2016 a reunion event was organised by the old Tullamore staff. It was a great evening and out of it came a desire for a publication that would be an album of memories and achievements. The production team drew on the contributions of staff and the surviving archives.

Irish Mist was a triumph of good design and strategic marketing. It showed the interconnectedness between art and design and sales and marketing skills and what could be achieved with well-directed effort. The same principles applied to the production of what became an attractive book with the support of Creative Ireland.