Diageo is celebrating 400 years of Bushmills Irish whiskey with a string of events and promotions.
The celebrations will include advertising, rugby sponsorship, new anniversary packaging, a special edition Bushmills 1608 Irish whiskey and continuation of the brand's marketing and sampling campaign.
Around £1.4m will be spent during the year. Included in the celebrations will be the brand's first global advertising campaign, entitled "Welcome" and carrying the slogan "Irish at its best", across national press and men's magazines.
Bushmills will also continue its association with rugby as the official spirit of the Irish rugby team, and rugby legend Keith Wood has been recruited as a brand ambassador.
The special edition Bushmills 1608 has already won the Whiskey Magazine 2008 Award for Innovator of the Year. Diageo said it combines the classic features of Bushmills whiskeys, such as triple distillation, with a pioneering process of distillation using crystal malt - a special type of malted barley selected for greater smoothness.