Bold ’98 Irish Whiskey has entered Nigeria by inviting the market to a party. “Party Like It’s ’98,” staged at Nomaada Restaurant, Victoria Island, replaced the familiar unveiling of speeches and slide decks with a retro-themed experience. Celebrities, distributors, media and other stakeholders attended and took part rather than watching from the sidelines.

The design was consumer-first from the start as guests posed for Polaroid “’90s and 80s moments” and were steered by hashtags such as #PartyLikeIts98, PLIS98and #Bold98 into sharing the night online. A Cocktail Lab and a chef’s table, hosted by Nomaada, paired the whiskey with food and mixed drinks, showing it as a versatile spirit for the table, the bar and the celebration. The pours were placed throughout the venue so that tasting was part of the evening’s flow.

Motunrayo Raheem, Executive Director, said the format was a strategic choice. “A whiskey is best introduced by tasting it, in good company, and not by telling people about it,” she said. “We wanted the trade and consumers to feel the brand before they hear our pitch. If you enjoy Bold ’98 at the table, in a cocktail and on the dance floor, you’ll remember it.”

The retro theme was a decision of timing as well as taste. Raheem told guests the team settled on the old-school concept in January and February, only for nostalgia posts to flood social media as September approached. “It has to be God,” she said.

The entry comes as Nigeria’s premium spirits segment grows more competitive. Whisky is among its most contested categories, with established international labels courting discerning drinkers, and rising urban demand for imported spirits has widened the audience. In a crowded field, brands are judged on quality and also on story and moments that people want to share. Bold ’98 is answering both with a distinct heritage narrative and a launch built for social sharing.

That narrative begins in 1798. The Society of the United Irishmen, inspired by the American and French revolutions, rose against British rule, seeking to unite Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters in a common cause of self-determination. Fighting broke out in Wexford, Antrim and Down, and a French force landed in County Mayo. The rebellion was crushed within months at heavy human cost, with a decisive defeat at Vinegar Hill in Wexford.

The brand’s makers, Stafford Irish Spirits Co. of Enniscorthy, tell of barley from the rebels’ pockets sprouting on the battlefield afterward, a symbol of hope. The campaign line “Rooted in Rebellion” comes from that story.

“Bold ’98 is rooted in rebellion, in boldness and in the belief that something good can come from defiance,” Raheem said. “Nigerians will recognise that, because it’s how many of us have built our own lives and businesses.”

She described the product as designed to match. “It is a premium blended Irish whiskey from County Wexford, creamy and smooth with caramel and toasted oak,” she said. “It’s easy to enjoy neat or on the rocks, and it holds its own in a cocktail.” Beyond the room, she framed the launch as the start of a longer commitment. “This whiskey has been coming from Ireland, but it’s also here in Nigeria to stay.”

Across the evening, a fireside panel moderated by Zion, a staged bottle reveal, a catwalk of models with umbrellas, fans and glorifier props, a headline performance and a Gen-Z versus Millennial rap and dance battle kept the brand in front of guests. The panel featured Raheem, Olajumoke Oladimeji of Capston Bee, Esther Usoroh among others.