Frank, who built Grey Goose vodka into a $2bn brand before selling it to Bacardi, came up with the idea for the whiskey after watching the film Michael Collins starring Liam Neeson and reading Tim Pat Coogan's biography. Coogan was retained as historical consultant on the project.

Sidney Frank creative director Bill Henderson said the whiskey was Frank's "vision", and that the brand is on schedule for a planned US launch on St. Patrick's Day.

Michael Collins whiskey is being positioned as an 'ultra premium' brand in the US, where Irish whiskey sales are on the rise and Jameson accounts for 60% of the market. The Sidney Frank company will target young drinkers aged 21 to 24, focusing on the Irish American market.

A teaser advertising campaign will begin in print media next month, with a rollout of 38,000 cases planned for this year.