Innovation-led Killowen Distillery in Northern Ireland has developed two original rum and malt whiskey products as the latest additions to its portfolio of leading-edge small batch products.

The new products from the small distillery, which is based near Rostrevor, county Down, in the iconic Mourne Mountains, are a Special Single Cask Irish Dark Rum – the first from a peated cask and a Signature Rum & Raisin Single Malt Whiskey.
Fermented on-site at Killowen from 50 percent blackstrap molasses and 50 percent sugar only. The wash is distilled by Killowen’s flame-fed copper pot stills and worm-tubs, the first still uses a copper thumper keg which acts as another half distillation, hence the bottle stating, 2.5 times distilled. 

“As with our other dark rum we used the Solera method of cask ageing using a range of casks,” explains master distiller and founder Brendan Carty. “The distillate was first laid down in heavily charred Cabernet Sauvignon casks, followed by ex-Bourbon firkins, then PX Sherry Casks, and finally this special single-cask release was rested in a single, fresh, Peated Irish Whiskey cask for six months.

“Like all Killowen spirits, this distillate is a cut above all other quality rums. The focus on pot still distillation and cask ageing is evident in a viscous, well-balanced, spicy, heavy, and molasses-led flavour that acknowledges its raw ingredients and cask ageing method,” adds Brendan.

The limited release consists of 54 cases (326 bottles).

For every bottle sold, Killowen Distillery will donate £1 to The Joint Council for The Welfare of Immigrants’ Windrush Justice Fund; paying respect to those who created one of the world’s greatest spirits, recognising Afro-Caribbean people within the rum industry and acknowledging the dark legacy of slavery that bore its creation. Continuing with the discipline of Killowen Distillery, all bottles are at high strength and there has been no chilled filtration or added colouring. The spirit has come straight from the cask to the bottle, and is high in alcohol content. The virgin cask is lightly charred and so the unfiltered spirit is relatively free of char this time.

The distillery’s Signature Rum & Raisin Single Malt Whiskey is another limited edition release. It will be the last of its kind before the distillery moves to a brief six year old edition and then onto a five year old malt of different stock.

“As with what has gone before, we have selected a handful of casks from neighbouring County Louth. Then from its own Killowen Dark Rum cask comes notes of rich molasses and tropical fruits whereas the rich PX casks provide abundant raisin and dried fruits amidst the backdrop of the famous apples and pears often found in the sourced distillate,” Brendan adds.

Dunbia, Northern Ireland’s biggest meat processor which operates throughout Great Britain, has launched Farm Green, a new sustainable farming programme, aiming to transfer knowledge and inspire the farming community to reach shared sustainability goals.

The company is based at Dungannon in county Tyrone and is now part of Dawn Meats.

Working in collaboration with industry bodies, young farmers’ clubs and colleges, key information and resources will be contributed through Dunbia’s social media pages and digital platforms, using the Farm Green logo and hashtag.

Group head of agriculture, Sarah Haire says: “I am delighted that Farm Green is now live. A lot of time and effort has gone on behind the scenes in developing this programme, to ensure relevance and materiality in delivering key knowledge transfer and learning events for our suppliers.

“We appreciate our role in helping suppliers to prepare for the policy changes ahead, and we hope this programme will reach far and wide, in highlighting opportunities for improvement and understanding of key sustainability themes. The first event will see Breedr, an organisation that helps farms develop their farms, host a webinar on the importance of data collection on farm. This webinar will help farmers to understand how recording simple metrics can result in significant benefits for margin improvement and management performance, with a key focus on upcoming policy changes.

Two Northern Ireland food companies have won major awards at the recent International Cheese and Dairy Awards 2021 in Britain, one of the biggest events in the European dairy calendar.

The local winners were:

Burren Balsamics, Richhill, county Armagh was awarded gold for its Grand Reserve Balsamic Vinegar of Modena; and

Dromona Cheese from Dale Farm, Belfast which won the Volac Trophy for the Best Medium Creamery Block Cheddar, the ICDA Champion as the UK Creamery for its block cheddar. Dale Farm, Northern Ireland’s biggest farmers’ dairy co-operative, which produces cheese near Cookstown, county Tyrone, also won two golds for mature and medium cheddar and six silvers for its range of cheddars.

The International Cheese and Dairy awards is now regarded as the world’s largest platforms to champion world class producers.

Held at the Staffordshire Show Ground, Stafford the awards attracted over 5,000 entries from across the world.

Success at the show provides high profile recognition from independents, retailers and food service companies throughout the world.  They support winners through their marketing and social campaign to increase consumer awareness and ultimately sales.

The awards can be traced back to the original cheese show, which was founded in 1897 when the Cheshire Agricultural Society, which had been holding shows for some years at different venues in the county, splitting the county into four shows in their own right, one of which was Nantwich & Northwich, and in 1903 the show was held under its own auspices and with no link to the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

In 2009 the Nantwich Cheese Show was re-branded to the International Cheese Awards. It moved to Stafford this year.

The International Cheese Awards is organised and run by a committee of volunteers contributing expertise from the dairy and cheese industries as well as event management, sponsorship, PR and Marketing industries.

An important aspect of the awards, which has grown rapidly over the past two years has been the Cheese Accompaniment Classes, such as preserves, chutneys, artisan breads, cheese biscuits, olives, wine, beer, Charcuterie (Everything connected with eating great cheese!).

The Cheese Board Awards reflect the growing interest in accompaniments for various types of cheeses.

The organisers say the Cheese Board Awards will become exactly what the ICDA has become but for everything that makes cheese an even better experience.

Northern Ireland’s Finnebrogue Artisan has been named the Best Bacon in the PETA UK Food Awards, a leading UK showcase for vegan products.

The organisers highlighted the company’s Naked Without the Oink! Plant Based Bacon Rashers as proof that “no pig flesh is needed to make crispy, delicious bacon”. The bacon, produced at Finnebrogue’s £25 million for the production of plant-based foods, is now available from supermarkets or in Costa Coffee’s unique Vegan Bac’n Bap!

Finnebrogue Artisan, based in a state-of-the-art production complex outside Downpatrick, is part of Lynn’s Country Foods formed by the late Denis Lynn in 1985. It employs over 1,000 people in the town. The Finnebrogue Naked bacon is produced without nitrites or other chemicals.

PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. The awards support this strategic focus.

PETA said: “Consumers are waking up to the benefits of vegan eating – to improve their own health, protect the planet, and spare the other animals we share it with a life of suffering and a horrifying death. Nowadays, it’s hard to walk down the street without seeing an advert or chalkboard proudly showcasing the word “vegan”.

Now in its ninth year, PETA’s Vegan Food Awards highlight some of the “most delicious and exciting new vegan offerings in the last 12 months”.

PETA continues: “Like humans, other animals are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use – for experimentation, food, clothing, entertainment or any other reason. PETA and our affiliates around the world educate policymakers and the public about cruelty to animals and promote an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect.

PETA works through public education, research, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement and protest campaigns. PETA believes in non-violence and does not advocate or support actions in which anyone, human or non-human, is harmed. PETA is a charitable organisation that works to educate the public about the horrors of cruelty to animals through peaceful means.

Finnebrogue has also become a UK leader in sausages especially pork for supermarkets such as Marks and Spencer. It has developed innovative food in association with the prestigious food retailer.

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Costa:  Finnebrogue Artisan in Northern Ireland developed a vegan bacon bap with Costa Coffee

Crust & Crumb in Derrylin, county Fermanagh has won two major awards in the highly influential Bakery Industry Awards.

The family-owned company, Ireland’s largest manufacture of ambient, chilled and frozen commercial and gluten-free dough based products such as topped pizzas and pizza bases, was named Bakery Manufacturer of the Year 2021 and Bakery Exporter of the Year 2021 in the industry’s most important awards.

The company operates three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in counties Fermanagh and Cavan and is a leading supplier of products to major supermarkets in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Other successful foods include flatbreads and tortillas.

The Bakery Industry judges were impressed by the company’s outstanding growth in turnover, investment – some £12 million over the past year – and “fantastic tasting products”.

They also noted how Crust & Crumb’s commitment to reducing food waste – building a facility at its Derrylin base to turn it into animal feed – had also built a new profitable income stream.

Crust & Crumb said: “What makes us different is our commitment to high quality gluten-free and vegan products. With dedicated free-from production lines, we ensure the highest quality free-from products that do not sacrifice the quality and taste of the original product.”

Crust & Crumb’s exports also grew by 25 percent last year to top £40 million. When the pandemic struck, the company adopted a new production ethos: “If we can’t go to our customers, we must show them why they should come to us.” The growth in total export revenues and the number of customers, that resulted from this strategy, really impressed the judges.

Crust and Crumb specialises in creating fresh prepared foods in partnership with leading retail and food service customers in the UK, Ireland and around the world.

The Bakery Industry Awards are organised by British Baker publication and digital information service and focus on the people, products, and businesses at the heart of the industry.

It spans the whole sector from plant, craft, and in-store bakeries to ingredients and equipment suppliers as well as associated businesses like coffee shops and food service outlets.

We’re delighted to have launched an imaginative and extensive marketing campaign – ‘Our Food. Power of Good’, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to increase awareness among local people of the premium quality, nutritional value and safety of food and drink being produced here.

The marketing campaign, announced today, will centre on Northern Ireland’s unique food and drink proposition – the greatness and goodness that comes from our size and interconnectedness.

DAERA Minister Edwin Poots who was a key note speaker at the launch event said: “The ‘Our Food. Power of Good’ campaign, aims to energize and galvanize all aspects of our vibrant agri-food industry, and promote the good of the industry, our quality produce, and our sustainability in terms of production and the reputation of the food that is produced on local farms”.

Michele Shirlow stated that the campaign, will seek “To unite, to delight, to inspire and  to educate. In promoting the quality of our food and drink produce, we are encouraging people to shop local and thereby boost an industry which already contributes over £5 billion annually to the local economy and currently employs upwards of 100,000 people”.

“We believe that agri-food is positioned to make an even greater contribution, especially in rural communities where many of the companies are based, as Northern Ireland steadily recovers from Covid-19,” the Food NI Chief Executive added.

The campaign, influenced by the outstanding success of Year of Food and Drink in 2016, will be actioned across multiple channels including TV, radio, video-on-demand and social media and features producers from our grasslands and seas as well as those from the hospitality sector in support of the local industry.

The creativity and quality of Northern Ireland food and drink is showcased once again by the outstanding achievements of smaller producers in particular such as the UK Great Taste Awards, Blas na hEireann Irish National Food Awards, World Bread Awards, Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards, UK Bakery Awards, the UK Quality Food and Drink Awards, Irish  Quality Food and Drink Awards and World Whiskies Awards.

These high profile and quality focused awards show that food and drink experts worldwide are increasingly valuing our fabulous produce and keen to endorse what we have to offer in virtually every category.

Our Food. Power of Good aims to encourage many more consumers and businesses here To Source it. Savour it. Support it. Shop it.

The ‘Our Food. Power of Good’ marketing campaign starts 25^th October 2021 and runs to 31^st March 2022.