Distillery’s founder, Gareth Irvine, calls on industry peers to stay positive

 Co. Down-based spirits company, The Copeland Distillery, has today announced the growth of its spirits portfolio as it moves into its third category, rum. Its first two Irish rum releases, Smugglers’ Reserve and Copeland Overproof Rum, are now bottled and available to purchase across the UK and Ireland from today, October 7^th.

Inspired by smugglers of the coasts near its home in Donaghadee, the creative new rum releases are an expression of Copeland’s own resilience and resolve, following what has been a challenging time for the young Distillery, which opened its doors in August 2019.

Both variations of the rum have been created at The Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee, Co. Down, where the company already produces its whiskey and gin. Head distiller, William Stafford, and company founder, Gareth Irvine, collaborated on all elements of the distillation and fermentation, including sourcing a specially-selected rum from Barbados for the blending process.

While both distillates have been matured in a combination of American bourbon barrels and French Pinot Noir casks each has its own recognisable character and story.

Smugglers’ Reserve is inspired by clandestine smuggling activities that took place along the Copeland Islands throughout the 18^th and 19^th century and gives honour to the contrabandists that brought tastes of new worlds to Co. Down’s shores.

With fulfilling notes of warm, sweet spices and gingerbread, perfectly-paired with piquant flavours like banana coconut, this luxurious Irish Rum is the result of a clever marriage of Copeland’s heavy pot-still rum and its light rum along with a Barbados rum. A unique and exciting offering bottled at 40%, it is priced at £29.99 per 700ml and will be continuously available as part of the Distillery’s core range of gins.

Copeland Overproof Rum is inspired by the events of 14 August 1815, when the brig ‘Andrew Savage’, originally from Portaferry, landed home with fine rum from Belfast Bay in Antigua. It could be seen for days ahead of its landing with the newspaper reporting that it expected most of the cargo to safely land in Donaghadee’s coves and tunnels along the coastline for lucky folks to enjoy.

A sophisticated and skilful rum that relies on a double pot distillation over 10-14 days, Copeland’s Overproof Rum is bottled at 57.2% and boasts pleasantly familiar aromas such as corner shop ice-cream and candied orange. The drinker will enjoy a smooth and velvet-like experience of spiced honey, vanilla and dried fruit. A limited edition offering, with only 600 individually-numbered bottles available, it is priced at £44.99 per 700ml.

Co-founder of The Copeland Distillery, Gareth Irvine, said: “Rum is a spirit that we have always wanted to produce, so to introduce not one but two rums that we’re equally proud of is really exciting. It’s still a challenging time for the industry, for producers like us and for venues and patrons too and we want this launch to be a reminder to our peers that we will all find the solutions we need to overcome barriers, just like the brave and determined smugglers who inspired our rums.

“As cocktail culture continues to grow year-on-year, the rum category is primed for a huge comeback and has been experiencing growth over the last 12 months or so. However, it’s not just a case of releasing a rum and suddenly you’re part of the category’s growth. Rum is actually a very tricky liquid to get right, and we wanted our rum, particularly as one of very few Irish rums on the market to be distinctly different.

“Flavour can vary drastically with factors like the origins of your base ingredients, production-style and the ageing process all playing an important role, much like a whiskey. Given our experience within the whiskey category, and of course our head distiller’s keen palate, we we’re well-placed to enter the rum category.

“Our Overproof is a must-have for rum aficionados, especially as it is limited-edition, while our Smugglers’ Reserve is a stunning liquid that is robust enough for both at-home cocktail lovers and professional mixologists to have a lot of fun experimenting with, responsibly of course.”

For more information on The Copeland Distillery’s new rums, Smugglers Reserve and Copeland Overproof, visit copelanddistillery.com or @copelanddistillery on social media.

Northern Ireland’s Ninth Wave Irish Gin, produced at the Hinch Distillery in county Down, has become the ‘World’s Most Highly Awarded Gin’.

This is on the basis of the distinctive gin gaining the following awards:

Hinch Distillery, which produces Ninth Wave Gin, is the brainchild of well-known Northern Ireland entrepreneur Dr Terry Cross.

The 30,0000 sq ft Hinch Distillery, located between Belfast and Ballynahinch, will produce the Hinch Irish whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin brands.

The distillery, which is due to officially open in November 2020, will span two floors, housing the whiskey and gin production, bottling line, storage facilities and offices. It will also include a visitor centre which is scheduled to open in 2021.

Ninth Wave, part of a growing production line at the £15 million Hinch Distillery, is a premium product that taps into Celtic heritage. It is the craft work of Belfast-born Head Distiller Aaron Flaherty and his team, who have a wealth of experience working for some of Ireland and the UK’s best-known spirit brands.

The ‘World’s Most Highly Awarded Gin 2020’ status will further raise the profile of Ninth Wave which is already exporting globally.

Mr Flaherty says: “Ninth Wave Gin is inspired by our fascination with Irish mythology, the mystical ‘Otherworld’ and its links to the sea which surrounds us. Our Irish gin has a bottle design, in ocean blue glass, incorporating the symbolism of the Celtic Triskellion(triple spiral) which adorns many ancient monuments throughout the island.

“We thought a beautiful gin deserved a beautiful bottle!I’d like to congratulate the whole team at Hinch for their contribution in the development of our gin’s award-winning recipe, and of course the industry experts whohave joined us on this journey,’ he adds.

The awards follow on from over a dozen other wins for Hinch Distillery in 2020 including Gold Medals for its Ninth Wave Gin brand at the World Gin Awards.

Mr Cross says: “The wins will help drive forward Hinch’sgoal to further expand its already international client base.”

“To date the response to both Hinch Whiskey and Ninth Wave Gin has been phenomenal with distributors having been signed up in over half the target countries including the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Japan, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy, UK, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.”

Noisy Snacks, the award winning snack brand that engages all the senses, has secured a listing with Tesco in Northern Ireland.

Six products including Great Taste Award Winning Red Curry and Coconut Noisy Corn will be available across Tesco’s Northern Irish stores this month.

Jonathan McWhinney, Tesco, says; “We really want to offer customers great tasting innovative products. Noisy Snacks impressed us very much. Offering a flexitarian range with delicious satisfying snacks, plus a unique experiential USP creates real brand stand-out, and adds to the customer experience. We are very proud to be backing a Northern Irish developed product which we will believe has massive potential all over the UK.”

Noel Allen, founder of Noisy Snacks, adds; “We are delighted to be in Tesco who have been so forward thinking in recognising this experiential trend in snacking. Not only do consumers wants a delicious and satisfying snack, but are also crying out for exciting sensory experiences. Our snacks are developed to work on multiple levels to trigger an audio sensory meridian response (ASMR) to engage all of the senses to deliver a truly unique snacking experience.”​

With double the amount of flavouring as regular snacks (8g instead of 4g per pack) the snacks provide a noisy, explosive mouth sensation. The 45g fully recyclable pack must be shaken loudly before opening to wake the flavour inside. They are flexitarian with vegan options in the range, and a good source of protein. Tesco will stock three varieties:

Established in 2018, Noel Allen has 10 years’ experience in FMCG working for Coca Cola, Red Bull and 6 years working for Boost Drinks. Noisy Snacks taste delicious with unique flavour combinations to delight and engage with all of your senses. ​

The Meat Merchant in Moira, Co Armagh, the successful retail arm of Hannan Meats, the multi-award winning producer of premium meats especially Himalayan salt-aged beef and sugar-pit bacon, has launched the first eight in a planned portfolio of quality sauces.

The eight sauces have been created as the perfect accompaniment for the company’s wide range meats which have been widely acclaimed for their rich flavours and have collected a host of national and international quality awards including a record haul of 28 UK Great Taste Awards from the hugely influential Guild of Fine Food. Hannan Meats in a Food NI member

The original recipe sauces, developed in association withexperienced chef Paul Clarke of En Place Food in Cookstown, another business in the Hannan stable which has also won a string of UK Great Taste Awards and Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, include M1 Steak; Habanero Hot; Sweet Chilli; Buffalo Wing; and Rib.

All the new products are under The Meat Merchant brand and are also being marketed within the ‘Serious about Meat’ theme. The sauces are available in 255g bottles.

In addition, a fresh tomato sauce for use with pasta dishes or pizza has been created. The Meat Merchant has been developing the sauce for sourdough balls from Zac’s Bakehouse near Ballymena in Co Antrim. The artisan bakery supplies sourdough to the Meat Merchant.

Peter Hannan, managing director of Hannan Meats, commenting on the decision to launch the new sauces, says: “We’ve been thinking about launching our own sauces for our range of premium meats for some considerable time. In many respects it’s a response to Meat Merchant customers who’ve been asking us over many years for guidance on sauces to accompany our meats.

“It is, therefore, a logical extension of our retail operation. It was also a decision influenced by the coronavirus lockdown which gave us an opportunity to look at opportunities to diversify the business, now a very well-known and successful brand with consumers especially in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

“Our high-end retail partners such as Fortnum and Mason in London and James Whelan Butchers in the Republic give us a prominent identity for supreme quality meats among consumers in both markets.

“We’ve researched both markets to pinpoint consumer preferences and also been guided by Meat Market customers about sauces and our plans to launch our own accompaniments.

“Our colleague Paul Clarke at En Place Foods, who has unrivalled experience in developing sauces, pastes, tapenades and relishes, worked closely with us in creating original flavours for diners will enhance our meats for consumers to enjoy,” he adds.

“We believe the new and delicious sauces are the outcome of a winning combination between a passionate producer of premium meats and a pioneer in sauces and other meal accompaniments,” Mr Hannan continues.

The Meat Merchant, located close to the Hannan Meats plant and its extensive Himalayan Salt complex at Moira, sells the company’s meats at wholesale prices. In addition, the shop stocks a host of foods from other artisan producers in Northern Ireland. Indeed, very many smaller enterprises have begun their retail journey with business from The Meat Merchant.

Around Noon in Newry, the leading food-to-go manufacturer, has acquired a counterpart as part of plans to diversify its product offering and grow sales in the UK and Ireland.

Based in Newry, county Down, Around Noon, Food NI member, has acquired Simply Fit Food, which supplies a range of convenience meals made from natural ingredients online, as well as through multiple and convenience retailers.

Simply Fit Food, located in Drogheda in the Republic of Ireland, will continue to trade under its existing brand within the Around Noon group. Evelyn Garland and Luke Judge, the founders of Simply Fit Food, will remain shareholders and continue to operate and manage the business.

As part of the deal, Around Noon plans to invest in a refresh of its brand and product range, including an investment in new environmentally friendly packaging. Its plans also include doubling Simply Fit Food’s annual sales in just 12 months.

Gareth Chambers, chief executive of Around Noon, said: “This acquisition will provide us with a foothold in a new and fast-growing segment of the market. Sales of health-related foods grew to over £773 million in the UK last year and 64 per cent of UK consumers say they have purchased health foods. This is only likely to grow further.

“There is a fantastic synergy between the two companies and the opportunity to cross-sell between our respective client-bases.

“Luke and Evelyn have created a strong brand and their business shares a very similar ethos to Around Noon as a company that is passionate about healthy food and about serving its customers.

“We very much look forward to working with Luke and Evelyn and to growing the business strongly together.”

The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions made by Around Noon, including the purchase of London-based Chef-in-a-Box from Donegal Investment Group in 2017.