In this Irish Whiskey Review interview, host Speaker A talks with Maura Clare, founder and CEO of the Smugglin’ Irish Poitín brand (also known as Smug Nun). Maura explains that her product—a single‑sku Irish poitín made from malted barley—has begun gaining traction in the United States, especially within the New York Irish‑American community. She describes a production partnership with Copeland Distillery in Donegal County Down, which creates the spirit for her brand, and a distribution collaboration with Hope Street, which is launching four related products in the U.S. market. The conversation delves into the brand’s origin story: the name “Smug Nun” stems from a family anecdote about a Franciscan nun who smuggled poitín in a holy‑water bottle, and the brand’s visual identity uses the Mona Lisa, chosen for her perceived “smug” expression and later‑life connection to a nun and the Fitzgerald lineage. Maura notes that while currently only one product is offered, future SKUs may be added, and the company is sharing sales resources with other Irish spirit producers to grow the market. The interview also touches on the perception of poitín versus corn‑based moonshine, the cultural heritage of Irish bootlegging, and promotional plans involving related channels such as Scots Irish Today.
Chapters
Well, no stranger to the channel, it is Mrs. Mugglin' Nonna, Chelsea, founder and CEO of a small whiskey distillery called Maura Clare. Do you have a wee dram?
I do, yes, in the States, 2 bottles ship free, and as we like to say, the nuns travel in pairs always.
Now, they say to you, I've had a few people already, they reckon Parchment is the next big thing. Are you finding that in the States?
Well, I think in the States people associate moonshine with corn mash, and of course I find the malted barley to be very superior. So certainly, as you know, it's true that the Irish invented bootlegging and brought it over to the States, but it's not exactly just a moonshine.
It is Ireland's best Pepsi, by the way. How are you pushing it out there? You're really a trailblazer for this in the States, aren't you?
Well, I hope so. I think that poteen producers are really helping each other on both sides of the pond, and it's wonderful that we're here together and sharing stories and learning from each other. But yes, I'm one of the early ones in the States, and I do find that it's starting to really take off in New York in the Irish-American expat community.
Have you been to any of them maybe yet?
Yeah, yeah.
There are a lot of them.
There are a lot, yes. And New Yorkers really like the new best thing, so they're loving poutine, yeah.
Well, we're involved with a new channel called Scots Irish Today, so maybe give them a shout as well.
Oh gosh, yes, I'd love to be in Scotland, yes.
So you really only do one product. Explain it to us.
That's true. I own just Smuggling Man Irish Poutine. You know, someday maybe I'll have other SKUs. But what's nice is that Copeland Distillery and I are working together in the States. They make my product bespoke for me in Donegal County Down.
And then Hope Street, Hope Street.
Yes, Hope Street.
People are starting to turn up looking for Hope Street.
It's great. It's wonderful. So they have 4 products they're launching in the States. And we kind of came to the conclusion that we should be sharing resources. So we're working with a shared VP of sales and, uh, other resources, and it's great.
That's good. It really is. Everybody helps themselves and the market grows in whiskey and vodka and poutine. Yes. How did you come up with the name, uh, thesmudnun.com?
The Smuggler Nun?
Uh, well, there must be a reason behind that.
Absolutely. So I read about poutine when it was still illegal, when I was about 20 years ago, so a long time ago, and our cousin was a Franciscan nun originally from Clare, and she knew I was obsessed and smuggled some back from Ireland in a holy water bottle for me. Yes, absolutely.
I can hear Bishop Brennan ringing her up already, and Father Ted. Anyway.
Right. So when I got my first boatload of Patschin arrived in the States, one of the first things I did was bring a couple of bottles to her mother home outside of Boston, and the nuns there had some cocktails for Christmas.
And you picked the name the Smug Nun because a bit like the Mormons, nuns always went around in twos.
That's right, that's right, that's true. And actually, the face of the brand, of course, is the Mona Lisa. And is it? I don't know if it's coincidence.
Well, just in case the Louvre have something to say about that, it's maybe coincidence. It's AI.
Well, we started calling the brand Smug Nun for short, and I thought to myself, who is who personifies smugness in a positive way, and that's what led me to the Mona Lisa. And afterwards I discovered that late in life she did become a nun after her husband died, and she also is an ancestor in the Fitzgerald family tree.
Lovely, lovely stuff. Thanks a lot for talking to us today on Irish Whiskey Review. Maura Clare, founder and CEO of Smugglin' on Putsy.
