Four Food NI companies are among six Northern Ireland distilleries who have won a record 16 major awards in the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) held recently in England. The awards from an influential panel of judges include three golds and five silvers for mostly craft distilleries in Northern Ireland.

The Food NI winners were Boatyard Distillery in Enniskillen; Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee, Mourne Dew in Warrenpoint and Shortcross Gin in Crossgar.

The golds were won by Copeland for its recently launched 1778 Cash Finished Navy Strength Gin; Mourne Dew in Warrenpoint for its Rostrevor Ruby Gin; and Niche Drinks in Derry for its Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cream Irish Liqueur.

All the awards were for smaller producers of Irish gin and Irish whiskey as well as cream liqueurs. They demonstrate the growing strength of the Northern Ireland spirits industry and its growing achievements in the international marketplace. The companies are increasingly winning business in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US.

The IWSC is the world’s largest and most influential international spirit awards company. It prides itself on providing expert, impartial evaluation, benchmarking, increasing brand awareness and boosting sales. The organisation’s supporters include eminent professionals and offers companies access to key buyers and influencers.

IWSC celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1969 by wine chemist Anton Masel to “reward excellence in drinks worldwide, ensuring recognition for the very best wines and spirits”.

The IWSC sets the international benchmark for quality, standing out in the crowded world of drinks awards with hundreds of global experts – including buyers, producers, distillers, sommeliers, distributors and influencers – judging wines and spirits throughout the year.

IWSC also promotes companies at international trade and consumer shows, trade marketing and through social media.

The Northern Ireland winners were:

Boatyard Distillery, Enniskillen

Winter Solstice Gin – Bronze

Boatyard Double Gin – Silver

Copeland Distillery, Donaghadee

1778 Cash Finished Navy Strength Gin – Gold

Irish Gin – Bronze

Shortcross Gin, Crossgar

Shortcross Classic Gin – Silver

Rosie’s Garden Gin – Bronze

Mourne Dew Distillery, Warrenpoint

Rostrevor Ruby Irish Gin  – Gold

Kilbroney Premium Irish Gin  Bronze

Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch

5-Year Old Double Wood Irish Single Malt Whiskey – Bronze

Peated Irish Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Silver

Ninth Wave Irish Gin – Silver

Niche Drinks, Derry

Iriah Cream Liqueur – Bronze

Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cream Liqueur –Gold

Tesco Irish Cream Liqueur – Silver

Luxco Tesco The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey 2 Year old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Bronze

Head brewer Tom Ray was toasting the stunning success of three novel beers he’s brewing at the Mourne Mountains Brewery overlooking Carlingford Lough outside Warrenpoint during the week.

The craft brewery gained three major medals in the UKNorth West regional category at the first-ever Digital Beer Awards organised by the influential Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) in Britain, an organisation that represents around 850 craft breweries. Mourne Mountains gained two golds and a silver for the quality and innovation of its craft beers at the unique UKbrewing event.

The prestigious awards are further recognition of the quality beers now being brewed in Northern Ireland by craft breweries. There are currently more than 40 craft breweries operating in Northern Ireland.

The golds awarded to Mourne Mountains, a Food NI member, were for its Krammed, a New England Pale Ale, and its barrel aged stout, Hoops and Staves. The silver was awarded to the progressive brewery for itsMourne Mist, a refreshing pilsner lager.

The awards demonstrate the expertise and versatility of the craft brewery located in the foothills of the iconic mountain range just outside the seaside resort and busy freight port.

Mourne Mountains Brewery was founded in 2015 by local businessman Connaire McGreevy and Tom Ray, the brewer behind the winning beers and a host of othercommercially successful brews. All the small batchbeers are “inspired by the incredible landscape and the characters of the Mourne Mountains”, according to Tom.

“We are thrilled to receive this important recognition for the quality and outstanding taste of our beers,” he says. “It’s great to see Northern Ireland brewers being recognised for quality products at a such a significant national event,” he adds.

“It’s especially rewarding as we’ve only recently joined SIBA as part of our support for the campaign to change Northern Ireland’s outdated licensing legislation. SIBA made an important contribution to the success of the campaign involving hospitality organisations and breweries here to persuade the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly to make the essential changes that are contributing significantly to the industry’s development,” he continues.

SIBA competition chair Guy Sheppard describes the quality of entries in the awards as being “incredibly high and testament to the passion and talent of British brewers especially in these trying times.”

He adds: “The UK is quite simply brewing some of the best beer anywhere in the world and in these awards showcased the full breadth of beer styles now available from independent craft breweries.”

Connaire McGreevy created the craft brewery on the back of his outstanding success with CTS Projects, which he had established in 2006, and has since developed into a diverse facilities management business operating throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It started refurbishing rundown properties, such as old social housing stock, and has since diversified successfully into renewable heating, such as biomass boilers and solar panels – focusing on energy efficiency.

He turned a passion for good beer into the formation of the brewery, the first in the region for over a century, which has developed into one of the most successful craft breweries in Ireland. He recruited Tom and tapped into his vast range of expertise gained working with small craft beer producers in Britain and in management with Diageo, the leading international producer of a wide range of beverages, and top milk processor Lakeland Dairies in Newtownards.

Tom says the small company takes great pride in using “only the best malted barley and speciality grains we can get our hands on”. “We use the finest whole leaf hops from around the world. But the ingredient we treasure the most is our water supply sources from the high Mournes. ”The water is beautifully soft and perfect for brewing a wide variety of beer styles – from crisp, hoppy pilsners to big, bold Imperial stouts.”

The company is busy recovering the business with hotels and restaurants stalled during the coronavirus pandemic.

The beers are hand brewed by Tom and brewer Gareth McGivern in small batches from their extensive knowledge of brewing techniques. Waste grain from the brewing process is used by a local farmer as a supplement feed for cattle. The spent hops are also removed from the kettle, by hand, and sent to an anaerobic digestion plant where they help to generate electricity.

The extent of the brewery’s commitment to the environment is also seen in the practice of recycling of as much of used cardboard and plastic as practicable.

Northern Ireland’s Noisy Snacks, the award winning snack brand that engages all the senses, has signed a listing to be distributed to high end independent stores by Diverse Fine Food. Diverse Fine Food deals with high end food outlets, offering unbeatable service and customer satisfaction, working in partnership with both suppliers and customers.

Nicki Stewart, Diverse Fine Food, says: “We are unique in the industry, being very selective with our brands and having incredibly high standards. We restrict our products per category, not wanting to over populate a catalogue with multiple brands. Noisy Snacks stood out with their extraordinarily memorable flavour palette, and for their unique brand experience which engages all of the senses.”

Noel Allen, founder, Noisy Snacks, adds: “We are proud to have such a great partner as Diverse Fine Food. Our snacks are massively on-trend for 2021 providing not only a delicious and satisfying snack, but also a sensory experience. Our snacks are developed to work on multiple levels for optimal mouth-feel and engaging 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 coming in 4 x varieties:



Co. Armagh drinks producer unveils new range of flavoured mixers.

Premium mixer and tonic producer Troughtons has been living up to its branding and ‘raising spirits’ during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company has developed five new flavoured tonic waters during lockdown, all of which are now available to buy.

The Elderflower, Raspberry Blush, Cucumber and Mint, Citrus and Valencia Orange tonics are each available in premium and low calorie Light versions.

All of the tonics are made using County Armagh spring water from the grounds of Ballinteggart House, Portadown, where the Troughton family also runs the Armagh Cider Company and regularly gives award-winning guided tours to visiting travel groups.

Director Mark Troughton said: “Lockdown afforded us the time to develop five new mouthwatering recipes, which we are delighted to add to our range.

“While many businesses have been struggling in recent months, we’ve been very fortunate that high quality, local food and drink products are something that people have wanted to enjoy at home.

“Our mixers seem to have been the perfect tonic — so to speak — for people who have been missing out on their usual outing to a nice restaurant or pub, so now is the perfect time to expand our range of products and let our customers sample these new flavours.”

Troughtons saw a surge in demand for its existing products during lockdown. Online sales of Premium Indian Tonic Water, Light Tonic Water, Premium Ginger Ale and Refreshing Lemonade rocketed while the hospitality industry was closed, with Troughtons products a fixture among Amazon’s top 10 best-selling mixers.

The four original Troughtons Premium mixers were launched at last year’s Balmoral Show following two-and-a-half years in development.

The Troughton family decided to branch out from apple products after discovering that nobody was producing craft lemonade and other mixers in Northern Ireland.

Mark explained: “We were already well-known for our handcrafted ciders, apple juice and cider vinegar, but when we spotted nobody else was making quality mixers locally — and given the increased popularity of gin and other spirits — we knew we had to go for it.

“With our own spring water on the estate already being used for the cider, we had a great starting point for high quality tonics.

“We’re pleased to be able to increase our range of products to give our customers more choice and find a mixer that is perfect for their taste.”

In addition to the new mixers, Troughtons has also developed three refreshing soft drinks aimed at the non-alcoholic drinks market. Its cloudy Sicilian lemonade, Sparkling Blush lemonade and Valencian sparkling orange drink are also new to the market.

The new range of tonics are available to order from Amazon and eBay, and imminently from Troughtons’ own tgtgroup.co.uk website for both household and trade orders.