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If you’ve created the longest-running live-action comedy in American television history, you probably want to toast its success. What better way to do that than by making your own glass-filling drink?
That’s what the brain trusts It’s always sunny in Philadelphia did. Well, not exactly, but somehow.
Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton are the twisted minds behind this insanely funny show (co-starring Kaitlin Olson). Danny DeVito) and they are also the founders of Four Walls Whiskey. The 80-proof Irish-American whiskey blend is smooth with a slight rye finish and, in this drinker’s opinion, dangerously delicious. It hit shelves last fall and is now available in more than 40 states here in the US, as well as at the stadium bar at Wrexham AFC, the soccer club that McElhenny co-owns with Ryan Reynolds.
As St. Patrick’s Day participants prepare to hit the parade routes and pubs, I spoke to Casey McGrath, CEO of Glen & Four Walls, to find out more about the drink’s origins and its celebrity status. We spoke to him about how he turned the concept of “making money on brands” on its head, and some surprising things. The emotional meaning behind Four Walls’ name and mission.
Related article: Charlie Day says you shouldn’t just do what makes you happy
What is the expert’s advice for those enjoying St. Patrick’s Day this year?
Glenn Howerton: If you’re a traditional Jameson drinker, a shot and beer type of person, you might want to try Four Walls instead. Because we are better.
Shots were fired! So how did this whole thing come together?
Casey McGrath: I’ve been in traditional spirits marketing for over 10 years, but during the pandemic, I started to realize what a great opportunity it was to build a brand from the ground up. Then we realized there was a lot of love and a void in the Irish whiskey category, so we called Glenn. We have a lot of friends in common and I’m a big fan of the show. He told me that they’re already playing with the idea of tackling and subverting the concept of celebrity-owned brands with certain lagers and barroom beers. So we started from there.
Glenn Howerton: I’ve known Casey for a long time, but as the creative director of Kings of Leon. I had no idea he had so much experience in the spirits market. If I had known that, things might have started a little earlier, but I guess things happen when they’re supposed to happen. So, once we started talking to Casey, he understood our sense of humor and what felt authentic to us, so as soon as this marketing aspect made sense, I understand. I love whisky, so I was really excited about this idea instead of drinking beer. Once we realized we could really create something by creating an Irish American blend and leaning into that Irish American aspect, we started firing on all cylinders.
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How involved were Charlie and Rob in developing this flavor?
Glenn: There were many— a lot — About tasting. That was the best part. Everything we tried was very good since we were working with a master blender. So in the end we took personal preference into account and tested our personal preferences with some of our most influential bartenders to make sure we were on the same page. Because we knew early on that we wanted to focus on bartending. This all started to celebrate their 15th record-breaking season. It’s always sunny. And since real bars and bartenders played such an important role in building our show, we wanted to do something to celebrate them.
How is creating a whiskey brand from scratch different from creating a TV show from scratch?
Glenn: It’s weird because I’m by no means a whiskey expert, but I know what I like.And I wasn’t a comedy expert when we started doing it. It’s always sunny As you can imagine, I knew what I liked. We knew what we liked. That is the credo we have always upheld. “Let’s make something to see, let’s make something to drink.” And whenever we’ve stayed true to our preferences, it’s been successful.
What preferences were you looking for in terms of taste?
Glenn: We wanted a lot of this whisky. Our goal was to have the smooth drinking experience of Irish whiskey, but also have the full-bodied aspects of rye whisky, so that it could be blended into cocktails. Also important is that the price he should reach $30.
Casey: A true Swiss Army knife. A bartender’s utility whiskey. While many Irish whiskeys are great as shots, many bartenders don’t use them in cocktails because the flavor doesn’t last long. So we wanted something that had the best of both worlds.
Have you ever wondered how you could bend the space-time continuum so that your real whiskey would be on the shelves of the fictional Paddy’s Pub, where the show takes place?
Glenn: I have to come up with something. We’ve been leaning into the whole celebrity spirit brand. We did an episode with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul who make Dos Hombres Mezcal, where they were basically making fun of celebrity brands. So we’ll see how, or if, Four Walls is integrated into the show. But what I’m saying is, obviously, it’s a great platform to provide information to fans.
Casey: Just to clarify, the name of Brian and Aaron’s episode is “Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab.”
How did you come up with the name Four Walls?
Casey: That’s what I like to talk about. It’s called the Four Walls after his four walls of the bar. This physical space is where we all can go to avoid trouble and have fun.
Glenn: As we emerge from the pandemic, celebrating our physical spaces in a virtual world has been so important. It’s time for people to come back and see each other, look into each other’s eyes, shake hands, and share warm hugs. I really missed it, and I don’t even know how much I missed it and realized how socially awkward I had become. It’s easy for me to get emotional about this because we spent much of our formative years, his 20s and her 30s, in bars drinking beers and shots and having the time of our lives. is. And that’s the feeling we wanted to connect with this piece.
Casey: What’s funny is that promoting any product can be exhausting, even though Glenn and his friends are so passionate about this. We work them to the bone and fly them to events all over the place. Then you drag an exhausted Glenn kicking and screaming to another city, but once you drag him into a bar, you have to drag him out! he never wants to leave.
RELATED: Why Ryan Reynolds says, “You can’t be good at something unless you’re willing to be bad at it.”
Did you name the runner-up for Four Walls?
Glenn: I thought about just calling it Brown. If you watch the show, you’ll see that the color “brown” has a lot of meaning to the characters. They call it whiskey. That’s a very Philadelphia thing. However, one day I came up with the tagline “The Better Brown!” We found both ideas to be a perfect marriage.
That means Four Walls and Ryan Reynolds Aviation Gin will be served at Wrexham Stadium. Which one sells better?
Casey: Well, at the time of this interview, we’ve only been there for three days, so, well…I’d say we’re doing better!
Glenn: That’s a good question. Fair question. We will get back to you with the numbers.
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