Paul Kowalski, of Saginaw Township displays a series of Bushmills Irish Whiskey in a pub full of memorabilia at his home. Kowalski and a friend, Curtis Neeb, who lives in Traverse City, won a national contest sponsored by Bushmills to travel to the distillery in Northern Ireland next week and compete for a grand prize of two weeks at the distillery next year and the opportunity to make their own Irish Whiskey blend. They are one of 11 pairs of people from 11 countries competing for the grand prize. Jeff Schrier | Saginaw News

Made it to Bushmills: Saginaw Township man, Bay City native finalists in competition at Irish whiskey distillery

Lindsay Knake | The Saginaw News | August 12, 2011

SAGINAW TWP. — A love of Ireland and Bushmills whiskey and a strong friendship pushed two Michigan men to the finals of an international competition to make their own whiskey.

Paul Kowalski of Saginaw Township and friend Curt Neeb of Interlochen, a Bay City native, are finalists in the second “Make it 2 Bushmills” competition. Through a Facebook vote, the pair beat out 3,600 other teams to become the U.S. representatives among 11 teams at “Bushcamp” in Bushmills, Northern Ireland. Other contestants are from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Russia and South Africa.

The three-day contest starts Tuesday, with the winners announced Wednesday evening. Kowalski and Neeb leave Sunday for the town of Bushmills, near the northern coast.

“Bushmills is all about bringing people together,” Neeb said. “That’s our love of Bushmills. That’s how we kept going and going in the contest.”

Whoever wins receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bushmills distillery for two weeks to create their own blend of whiskey with help from Master Distiller Colum Egan.

“We got a lot of support to make it this far,” said Kowalski, 51.

Bushmills is all about sharing, Egan said. Because of that, the judges are looking for two friends who share a lifelong bond.

Kowalski and Neeb met at Saginaw Valley State University, when a friend recommended Neeb take Kowalski’s graphic design course. Neeb, now 40, took another of Kowalski’s classes, and to two stayed in touch.

“We’ve developed a mentor-student, father-son friendship over the 20 years I’ve known him,” said Kowalski, who owns an advertising agency called Conach Marketing Group, 60 Harrow in Saginaw Township. Conach is the Irish word for “success.”

The friends share an interest in art, movies, comic books and Irish whiskey. A 30-year drinker of the liquor, Kowalski introduced Neeb to the brand of whiskey years ago, said Neeb, an inventory specialist at Best Buy and a freelance graphic artist.

Egan said he wants to see a pair who are quirky, humorous, outgoing and able to have fun and joke with each other.

“They say on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish. We want them to have a sense of Irishness all year round,” Egan said. “Paul and Curt had a nice story. I like the feel they couldn’t imagine sharing the experience with anyone else.”

The finalists face a barrel rolling competition, beach golf, cycling, among other things. Egan said the contestants also must demonstrate their knowledge of whiskey through taste testing and smelling to decipher the nuances within the whiskey, and how to present a proper cocktail.

Egan and other fans of Bushmills, including Whiskey Magazine Editor Rob Allanson, will select the final pair.

While much of the competition is in the distillery, Egan hopes the weather will corporate to hold events outside.

The grand prize trip is in September. The winners will receive an education about whiskey and visit the area surrounding the world’s oldest distillery. Bushmills was founded in 1608.

To make their own blend, the winners will learn about the ingredients and detailed process of making whiskey, Egan said. Bushmills whiskey matures for five years, which means the makers keep 200,000 barrels maturing all the time.

The winners also get a Bushmills party in their home town for friends and family, which Egan will attend.

The trip is about more than whiskey; the winners will see life is like in Ireland and learn about culture and arts, Egan said.

“We’ll show them ... how and why the whiskey got its personality,” Egan said.

Last year, Neeb and Kowalski traveled to Ireland with friends and family for a week to celebrate Kowalski’s 50th birthday. It’s a country Neeb loves. He missed hearing the Irish accent once he returned to Michigan.

“If I had the right opportunity, I would move over there in a heart beat,” Neeb said.

Kowalski, who has Irish ancestry, described the Emerald Isle as a magical place with spectacular scenery.

“It’s just so lush,” he said. “Plants grow everywhere there.”

Neeb said he’s been aware of the contest for a few years and watched for an opportunity to enter. The two put together a video entry made from photographs from their trip.

“We figured there’d be so many entries,” Neeb said. “Being up against people from larger cities, I honestly did not believe we had a good shot.”

Follow Kowalski and Neeb’s progress in the competition at Facebook.com/BushmillsUSA.