Shortcross Gin from Rademon Estate Distillery in Northern Ireland won three golds and a silver in the annual Gin Masters 2021.

The family-owned distillery, located at Crossgar in county Down, gained golds for its original Shortcross Gin in the Ultra-Premium category; for its Cask Aged Gin in the Cask Aged Gin category; and for its Rosie’s Garden Gin in the Pink Gin category. The company also won silver for its Shortcross Gin Angel’s Edition in Ultra-Premium.

Shortcross, a Food NI member company, was the first craft gin produced in Northern Ireland in over a century. It was launched by husband and wife team David and Fiona Boyd Armstrong in 2012. The gin has since gained a host of international awards for quality and innovation. Shortcross is now on sale in over 30 global markets. The distillery is also poised to launch a new single malt whiskey.

There was a silver too for Belfast Artisan Gin produced by the Belfast Artisan Distillery in Newtownabbey, county Antrim in the Super Premium category.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on gin sales in the on-trade, the spirit’s profile has gone from strength to strength in the off-trade.

Retailers in the UK experienced a 30 percent spike in gin sales in the 12 months to 27 March 2021, as the categoryreached £1.3 billion – equal to 80 million bottles. 

Flavoured gin has been a growing subcategory in recent years – and there was no slowing down for the sector during the same period. 

Sales of flavoured gin soared by 37 percent, meaning around 30 million bottles were snapped up over the year. Flavoured gin now accounts for approximately 40 percent of the total gin market by both volume and value, according to the WSTA, and its market share is only expected to go in one direction: up.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, says: “Our latest gin numbers underline that reports of gin’s demise as the ‘go-to’ spirit are wrong. Despite the on-trade representing many of our great British distillers’ ‘shop window’, and a great place for Britons to try new and exciting tipples, hospitality’s closure hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm to enjoy the vast array of gins now on the market.

“Sales of gin have never been this high in our shops and supermarkets before – but this is encouraging news for our reawakening hospitality industry, too – some of these sales are certain to shift over to pubs, bars and restaurants.”

Dromona Mild Cheddar, produced by Dale Farm, Northern Ireland’s largest dairy co-operative and a Food NI member, has won first place in the Creamery Mild Cheddar in the Virtual Awards 2021, the UK’s largest cheese competition.

The judges described the Dromona Mild Cheddar as “an excellent mild cheddar with a nice rounded finish and perfect flavour”. Dromona Mild Cheddar was the only cheese from Northern Ireland to be successful in the competition which is open to entries from the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The cheese is available in block, grated and sliced formats.

The Virtual Cheese Awards was launched in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to promote and celebrate the fantastic British cheese industry in a time of great need. In 2020 the Virtual Cheese Awards were the only ones to take place. 

​Although the 2020 Awards were organised very quickly, it still attracted over 300 entries and helped raise awareness of some fantastic British cheeses and the people who make them. All the profits from the event were donated to support cheesemakers and farming charities.

The awards aim:

To create a sustainable, inclusive and transparent virtual cheese awards that support and celebrate British and Irish cheesemakers, from the grassroots up;

– Create an online cheese awards that is focused on celebrating the diversity and quality of British and Irish dairy as well as nurturing talent to help promote a sustainable and thriving industry to consumers;

– Generate publicity and awareness for the entrants;

– Provide detailed and transparent feedback to cheese producers from the industries leading experts;

– Support the British and Irish cheese industry by donating profits to charities supporting dairies, farmers and makers.

County Down based DELI LITES has secured a contract to supply over 20 products to Asda stores across Northern Ireland for the first time. 

The new lines include Salt ‘N’ Chilli Wraps, Chicken, Stuffing & Coleslaw Sandwiches, and Free-Range Egg & Sweet Cure Bacon Sandwiches, as well as Salted Caramel Brownies, and Honeycomb Haste Treat Bars.  

Established over 25 years ago, independently-owned DELI LITES is an award-winning, food-to-go manufacturer that exports its innovative products globally, and currently employs over 200 people at their Warrenpoint HQ.  

Barbara Hawkins, Key Account Manager at DELI LITES, said:  

“We are delighted to be able to extend the reach of our food to-go-products throughout Northern Ireland as a result of these new listings with Asda. There really is something for everyone across the range, including vegan and non-vegan options. Whilst our company continues to innovate and evolve, one thing we will never do is mediocrity.” 

“Not only will Asda shoppers have a variety of new and nostalgic flavours to choose from, but they can rest assured that when they pick one of our premium artisan lunches, they are picking a product that supports other local suppliers created with a social conscience.”

Emma Swan, Asda’s Buying Manager for NI Local, added: 

“We are delighted to offer our customers such a wide range of new food-to-go products from DELI LITES. At Asda we pride ourselves on supporting local and it is brilliant to welcome DELI LITES as a new supplier.  

“DELI LITES is committed to reducing the company’s carbon footprint as well as providing tasty treats and lunches, we are sure shoppers will enjoy these sandwiches, wraps, snacks and sweet treats.” 

The new products are available across all 16 NI Asda stores now.  

To our amazing distilleries now driving international sales and drawing staycationers

It was really quite a triumph last week for the whiskey and wider spirit distilling industry here which was brought into sharp focus by a week-long celebration now recognised as Ireland’s largest Irish Whiskey Festival, a colourful event that, I am delighted to report, included a number of our member companies such as Bushmills Distillery in Co Antrim, Rademon Estate Distillery in Crossgar, Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin, Boatyard in Enniskillen and also Manor Chocolates in Castlerock.

The organisers of this important event deserve huge congratulations for reinforcing Northern Ireland’s growing reputation as a genuine world class distiller of exceptional single malt and blended Irish whiskeys, now immensely popular particularly in North America, the most significant market for the iconic golden spirit, as well as gin, vodka and, of course, poitin. 

Irish whiskey and poitin are both recognised by the EU as synonymous with the island of Ireland and cannot be produced anywhere else. 

Whiskey and gin distilled and blended here are now making an important and strengthening contribution to our export sales and are clearly positioned to play an even greater role in the years ahead.

The week saw the launch by Rademon, home of the globally acclaimed Shortcross Gin, of its new single malt crafted in Crossgar by master distiller David Boyd Armstrong who is now recognised deservedly throughout the industry in Ireland as a key influencer. 

He follows the trail blazed over many years in Ireland by our good friend Colum Egan, the hugely respected master distiller at Old Bushmills and his expert associate and master distiller Helen Mulholland, who is also highly regarded in Ireland and further afield.

Old Bushmills also raised the bar again during the week with the independent launch of its highly innovative American Oak Cask Whiskey that’s likely to be another outstanding success from this impressive distillery in the US.

The Belfast Whiskey Week celebration also showcased the outstanding innovation of smaller operations such as Two Stacks blenders and bonders in Belfast and Killowen Distillery in Rostrevor. They combined to produce two small batch whiskeys under the imaginative Time Well Spent branding. Killowen also added its own 11-year whiskey to the overall festival blend.

And the historic Limavady Single Barrel Single Malt whiskey was reborn with the announcement of an exciting collaboration between Darryl McNally, the master distiller behind the revived whiskey, and WhistlePig, a US rye whiskey giant.

In addition, the week saw new business in Singapore and with Sainsbury’s in Northern Ireland for Jawbox Gin.

Another significant initiative during the week was the introduction of a unique Whiskey Passport by the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) in Dublin to encourage staycationers and tourists to enjoy the Irish Whiskey experience by including distilleries with visitor centres on the itineraries. Many of our distilleries – and several breweries – have wisely invested in visitor centres. And it was good to see Rademon Estate resuming tours again with two new ‘experiences”.

Part of IWA’s inspirational IrishWhiskey360° banner to promote distilleries across the island, the passport isdesigned to provide a unique record of a journey through “extraordinary Irish whiskey distilleries”.

IrishWhiskey360° includes a colourful and highly informative video of several Northern Ireland distilleries. Overall, the initiative showcases the emergence of distilleries as tourism destinations with the potential to make a substantial contribution to economies of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Belfast Whiskey Week is clearly a celebration with potential for even greater growth especially when the dark cloud of the coronavirus pandemic is lifted and more people from across the island and from further afield are able to experience the traditions, heritage and innovation of Irish whiskey and distilling in general here.