Conor McGregor's Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey To Donate $1.3 Million To First Responders

 $1 Million to Tunnel to Towers Foundation in America

CRUMLIN, Ireland, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eire Born Spirits, the parent company of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, and the founding team of multiple weight MMA champion Conor McGregor, Audie Attar and business entrepreneur Ken Austin are pleased to announce that Proper No. Twelve will be donating $1.3 million dollars to first responder organizations around the world. 

During Proper No. Twelve's launch in late 2018, founder McGregor and his partners pledged that the whiskey company would donate $5 for every case of Proper No. Twelve sold until donations reached $1 million annually to first responder organizations around the world.  Thanks to the tremendous love and support for the brand as well as the high-quality liquid, Proper No. Twelve has become a bartender and consumer favourite, setting sales records for the industry. Proper No. Twelve has sold approximately 200,000 9-liter cases in America and, based on the $5 per case donation the company will donate $1 million dollars in the United States. 

The company is proud to announce it has selected the New York-headquartered Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to receive this $1 million donation for the United States. The donation will go towards paying off the mortgages for families of law enforcement officers and firefighters across the country, who were killed in the line of duty and left behind young children. Tunnel to Towers has a score of 100 for Accountability & Transparency on Charity Navigator. Additional donations will be announced in March and April for first responder organizations in Ireland, Canada, the UK, Australia, Russia, Poland and South Africa.  

Conor McGregor stated, "I am so grateful to the hardworking team at Proper No. Twelve, our distributors, retailers and pub owners along with the millions of whiskey fans that have embraced the brand generating record sales. These sales enable us to make our first significant donation to such deserving families. First responders around the world are the true-life heroes. They are the ones running into emergency situations. This has been a dream of ours since we started the business. Ken, Audie and I had bold ideas for the brand, and sales have surpassed all of our projections! We are so proud to partner with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to honour these proper heroes. The foundation's goal is to ensure stability and security for these families facing sudden tragic loss. I hope to inspire my fans and all Proper Twelve drinkers to join me and support this worthwhile cause."

In addition to the donation to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, McGregor has recorded PSAs (public service announcements) to encourage others to donate $11 per month to the foundation. These spots, one of which can be viewed here, will air throughout the United States on television.

Ken Austin, co-founder of Proper No. Twelve said, "When we began the vetting process on where to give, we saw the fundraising commercials that Tunnel to Towers was playing on TV. My wife grew up in The Rockaways in Queens, New York. Many first responders live in that area and many lost their lives on 9-11, just as Stephen Siller did. Conor said let's donate the million dollars to Tunnel to Towers, but we need to do more. And through the TV spots with Conor, the hope is that many will donate and we can help raise many millions for the foundation and these families."

"We are overjoyed to receive the donation from Conor McGregor and his team," said Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller. "We did not solicit their support - they approached us and have been nothing but generous, dedicated partners. Conor's commitment to first responder families can serve as a role model for others. We are extremely grateful, and I know which whiskey we will be drinking this Paddy's Day and beyond."

Media Contact: Kate Laufer Gorenstein | [email protected]

About the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation's mission is to honor the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. To date, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has spent over $250 million to honor and support our first responders and veterans and their families. For more about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation (EIN: 02-0554654) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org. You can request a copy of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's most recently filed financial report from the Charities Bureau Registry on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306; or New York State Attorney General Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. Information on New York charitable organizations can be found on the New York Attorney General's website (www.charitiesnys.com) or by contacting (212) 416-8401.

About Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey 
Numerous Irish whiskey makers sought McGregor's endorsement over the years, but as a true born and bred Irishman, he did not want to simply endorse an Irish whiskey. Inspired by his pride for Ireland and his love of Irish whiskey, McGregor wanted to create his own whiskey that would match his high standards and make his country proud. McGregor, his manager Audie Attar and entrepreneur Ken Austin developed the brand under the project name "Notorious" through which came the foundation of what was to eventually become Proper No. Twelve. It became a longer and more complicated project than originally expected, so McGregor turned to a distillery with a proven history of quality whiskey making. He met David Elder, esteemed master distiller, previously of Guinness, and together they took painstaking measures to bring the whiskey to fruition. "We created close to one hundred blends and ultimately selected what we knew was the one and only proper whiskey blend. We took the time to develop an incredible whiskey, and I'm excited to share it with the world," said McGregor. Visit www.properwhiskey.com and follow on Instagram and twitter @properwhiskey.

About Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Champion, father, philanthropist and entrepreneur who has added Founder and Chairman to his name with the Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey brand, owned by his company Eire Born Spirits. McGregor has catapulted into stardom not only as a Mixed Martial Arts World Champion but as a cultural phenomenon recognized for his outspoken personality and incredible work ethic. He is among the biggest pay-per-view draws in MMA history. McGregor's strong work ethic and dedication to MMA have allowed him to achieve his tremendous success. In the last six years, McGregor has gone from an apprentice plumber receiving social welfare to becoming one of the most recognized and highest paid athletes in the world.

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SOURCE Eire Born Spirits