Dave Kernaghan describes himself as a “saucer rock”

Dave Kernaghan describes himself as a “saucer rocker”…and for good reason.

A lover of hot sauces, Dave, from Helen’s Bay in Co Down, has previously created spicy flavors with rock legends Snow Patrol and Metallica to sell to fans at gigs around the world.

Eccentric owner Rock A Doodle Do SaucesDave has just developed original maple BBQ sauces using Dunville Irish Whiskey, a legendary and award-winning brand that was revived by the Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin.

Dave’s original Dunville brand sauces were developed in association with the team at Echlinville for sale online and in the distillery shop. Founded in 1808 and originally produced at the Royal Irish Distilleries in Belfast, Dunville was once among the most famous brands of whiskey in the world until the distillery went silent in 1936.

The whiskey and brand was successfully relaunched by seasoned entrepreneur Shane Braniff in 2012.

“Using Dunville’s Three Crowns 1808 and Peated whiskeys, we’ve created a pair of smoky chipotle barbecue sauces that are perfect for anyone looking to add something extra special to their next meal,” says Dave.

“The relationship with Dunville is the result of my search for a local whiskey to add a little more flavor to the sauces.

“I contacted Echlinville about using their whiskeys and then visited the very impressive distillery to sample some of their award-winning products. Everyone was extremely supportive. It’s also a great place for a visit to learn about great whiskies.”

He was drawn in particular to two premium Dunville blended whiskeys – the Three Crowns Peated Blend of selected aged malt and grain whiskeys and the Three Crowns 1808 blend of malt, grain and still spirits.

“Dunville also has a tremendous heritage as one of Ireland’s oldest and most successful whiskeys, particularly in the pre-prohibition USA.

“It’s exciting to see whiskey steadily resuming sales there and in other international markets,” he adds.

Dave worked for several months creating unique sauces for retail sale.

“Dunville’s peated whiskey added a rich, smoky flavor that enhances the hot chipotle pepper in sauces,” he explains.

The connection to Echlinville reflects Dave’s long-standing focus on creating hot sauces as part of his well-established and successful business Rock A Doodle Do – Belfast Hot Sauce, whose aim is to “create combinations of hot sauces for barbecues of exceptional quality and taste”. .

Apart from the fiery chillies, all sauces are mainly based on ingredients sourced from other local traders and include smoked salt and pepper from North Coast Smoke House in Ballycastle and Golden Pale Ale from Farmageddon in Comber.

An IT professional who has worked in sales and marketing for international industry leaders, Dave has combined a passion for hot sauces and heavy metal rock in the sauces business, creating sauces themed around rock music.

He had been creating his own red hot sauces for around 30 years, launching the unique Rock A Doodle Do range in 2015. line. Its sauces are also usually on sale at rock concerts around the world including Snow Patrol.

“I’ve always loved hot sauces, the hotter the better, with my snacks and meals,” says Dave. “I spent time in New York and learned a lot about hot sauces, especially Carolina Reaper, the hottest pepper in the world. And it is now in many of my sauces.

His first hot sauce is named after British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

“The first CD I bought was from the band,” he continues. “Although I’ve been listening to Iron Maiden for years, there are a host of other rock bands I enjoy, like Metallica, Blue Oyster Cult and, of course, our own legendary Snow Patrol,” he continues.

His sauces are “not for the faint-hearted”. These are sauces with “attitude” and the names he chose for them like “Fear the Reaper”, “Extreme Reaper”, “Banshee” and “Disaster Button” are warnings to lovers of mild flavors to stay clear.

Some of the sauces even come in skull-shaped bottles for added effect!

The collaboration with Snow Patrol was born out of an approach by Johnny Quinn, the band’s drummer, who also loves hot sauces and had heard of Dave’s range.

He adds: “Many groups regularly support charities. Snow Patrol was keen to help the charity Music for All and decided to partner with me to develop sauces that could be sold at concerts to raise money for the charity which provides music experiences for all, through free lessons, instrument loans and communities. and different educational paths.