Northern Ireland footballing hero of the 1982 World Cup, Gerry Armstrong has launched a limited edition whiskey, Spirit of 82 that celebrates that iconic moment when the team defied all the odds. 

Armstrong struck the winning goal against the hosts, Spain, on June 25 and now he has produced a whiskey as a tribute to the dedication and passion displayed by our team during that extraordinary match.  

It was in the 47th minute against the favourites for the tournament in their own heartland of Valencia that Armstrong scored and the Northern Ireland team fought their way to hold on to the lead and etch their name into footballing history. 

Already Armstrong’s new blend, developed with Food NI member Titanic Distillers, is receiving plaudits from many quarters, including those close to home. 

“The whiskey process takes years but when people started drinking it their reactions were fantastic and very complimentary,” the Belfast man explained. 

“My father is an expert in whiskey drinking and said it was very smooth and easy to drink and reminded him of one of his favourite well known Irish brands.” 

The number nine of Northern Ireland on that special night said he worked with the right people to develop Spirit of 82, and make sure that he had a whiskey he was proud to bear his name. 

“After speaking with my good friend Peter Lavery I thought I must make a whiskey of my own choice and he helped me to select the type of whiskey I like” he said. 

“We went through the tasting procedures and eliminated the whiskey we didn’t think was good enough until we came up with the Spirit of 82. 

“All in all it was a fantastic process, it’s not easy to bring a whiskey to market but I have loved every step of the journey.”

Food NI member Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin, Co Down has secured the future of an historic building which was once one of Ireland’s largest malting houses, supplying malted barley to distilleries and breweries across the island.

With the support of Bank of Ireland UK, Echlinville has purchased the Ards Maltings building on the Portaferry Road just outside Newtownards, with a view to restoring the malting process on site and increasing their capacity to malt locally produced barley using traditional  methods.

The £5 million investment means that Echlinville will be the only distillery in Ireland with the capacity to produce, malt, ferment and distil their spirit from field to glass, with local investment an important pillar of the business growth plans. While the distillery team currently floor malt their barley on the distillery farm, this latest development will enable Echlinville to malt barley on an industrial scale.

Shane Braniff, owner of The Echlinville Distillery, explains: “Echlinville was the first new distillery in Northern Ireland for more than 125years when we received our licence and casked our first spirit back in2013.  We’ve always been proud of our roots here in the Ards Peninsula and we complete every stage of the production process from the ground up on site at our distillery, from growing and harvesting the barley on our family farm, right through to hand labelling and bottling the finest spirits that we produce.

“Irish whiskey is the world’s fastest growing spirits category and locally we have a long history of quality whiskey production. The Ards Peninsula has historically been known as one of the finest grain growing regions in Ireland, so it’s no coincidence that Ards Maltings was established at the northern end of the Peninsula, malting barley from the surrounding farms and becoming one of the country’s largest malting houses.

“In its day, Ards Malting provided malted barley to distilleries and breweries around Ireland, including such companies as Guinness, Bushmills and Comber Distilleries – the home of Old Comber Whiskey, a brand that we revived and now produce at Echlinville. We are delighted to be able to bring that particular story full circle.

“Ards Maltings is among the Ards’ most iconic buildings, standing proudly on the Northern shore of Strangford Lough and welcoming people to the Peninsula. We are excited to be able to restore the building for the purpose for which it was first built while continuing on our journey to put County Down back on the world whiskey map. Our focus has always been on providing quality, exceptional flavour and instilling excellence from field to glass in the production of the finest quality spirits, and Ards Maltings will play an important role in the future growth of our business.

“The team at Bank of Ireland UK have been strong supporters of our business as it has grown over the years and take the time to understand our plans for business development offering support, guidance and the right financial products to support our ambitions.”

Gavin North, Senior Business Manager at Bank of Ireland UK said: “Shane and the team at Echlinville Distillery have been quietly leading the regeneration of quality local whiskey production and their pursuit of excellence in every aspect is admired and recognised by the significant international awards they have achieved to date.

“We’re pleased to have provided the funding to support this next phase of their sustainable business plan and look forward to working closely with the team as they continue to achieve success locally and globally, placing The Echlinville Distillery firmly on the internationally acclaimed whiskey tourism map.”

Barista Bar, an initiative of the Henderson Group, a Food NI member, has struck a £2.5m deal with CJ Lang & Son in Scotland to expand its presence across Spar convenience store outlets there

CJ Lang & Son owns the SPAR convenience store chain in Scotland and presently operates more than 300 SPAR stores across Scotland.

As per the terms of the agreement, Barista Bar will install its self-serve coffee machines at 104 SPAR stores in Scotland.

It will also be deployed at independent retailers’ locations. 

Henderson Foodservice, which started Barista Bar in 2015, will now have 730 units across the UK with this new rollout.

Henderson Foodservice commercial and development director Mark Stewart-Maunder says: “Two years ago, our foodservice company invested over £6 millioninto Barista Bar to upgrade the brand and machinery to produce a stand-out product that has had a hugely positive impact on our retailers’ sales and footfall.

Innovative products from Food NI members Irish Black Butter and Burren Balsamics are being showcased by the UK Department of Business and Trade (DBT) at ANUGA23, the world’s biggest food and drink show this year, which is taking place in Cologne from 7-11 October.

Irish Black Butter, producer of a unique sweet/savoury sauce with bramley apples, is based in Portrush and Burren Balsamics, a leading exporter of award-winning balsamic vinegars, jams and relishes, at Richhill in Co Armagh. Visitors to the show were able to sample products from the two local companies.

The show attracts visitors from across the world and features presentations from hundreds of food and drink companies.

Held every other year, ANUGA attracts over 70,000 visitors, including key buyers, from 169 countries. DBT organised a showcase at the trade show and a trade mission both of which were open to local companies.

Katie Brown, Agriculture, Food and Drink Sector Lead – Department for Business and Trade, Northern Ireland, says: “We’re delighted to be supporting businesses from across the UK, including Northern Ireland at the Anuga Tradeshow in Cologne, Germany.  

“In collaboration with colleagues across the UK, we will facilitate store visits for UK trade mission participants including Dart Mountain Cheese and CJ Meats from Northern Ireland, to a number of Germany’s well-known retailers including: Deka​, ReWe, Hit​ and for the fine food fanatics, Galeria Foodhall.  

“The trade mission will give companies from across the UK, including Northern Ireland, a greater insight into the German retail market and the support and opportunities that are available to grow and export around the world.”

Join Slemish Market Supper Club for a spooktacular evening of food, song & ghostly stories at our Halloween Night Slemish Market Supper Club on Friday 27th October at 7:00 pm in The Blackstone Bar & Off Sales 15 -17 Hill street , Ballymena , BT436BH

This evening Chef Rob “Scarecrow “Curley will cook a surprise spooktacular 6 course menu of ghoulish  Halloween treats from Slemish Market Garden Ballymena , Incredible Edibles Cloughmills Community Action Team   and Co. Antrim produce .To compliment the Halloween song, stories & spoken word of the The Armagh Rhymers  . They are one of the most celebrated music & theatre ensembles around Northern Ireland. Their Rhyming / Mumming encapsulates the spirit of Halloween . Mumming is an old word for Trick or Treating. This will be a scary menu & a night not to be missed.

To book a place send a message to Slemish Market Supper Club on social media, email slemishmarketsupperclub@gmail.comor phone Rob Curley on 07547804975.

Fancy dress optional – £70 per head (£30 deposit on booking, rest to be paid on the night)

Full drinks menu available at the bar. Arrival :7.00pm, Dining :7:15pm

Master brewer Bernard Sloan of Whitewater Brewery in Castlewellan, a Food NI member, has won acclaim and market success through a focus on coming up with original taste experiences. The most recent, a collaboration with Hinch Distillery in Carrydulff on a barrel-aged stout, won the coveted three stars in the UK Great Taste Awards.

The latest winning collaboration followed an earlier link up which led to Hinch’s award-winning Craft and Cask, an innovative range of three distinctive Irish whiskeys.

The range included an ‘Imperial Stout Finish’ based on Whitewater’s strong Kreme dela Kremlin Imperial Russian Stout, a winner of the Northern Ireland Regional Fork in Great Taste in 2020 and among its strongest of beers.

The winning stout was made using a selection of premium malts, hops and maple syrup, then aged in whiskey casks from Hinch, an important initiative by local entrepreneur Terry Cross.

 Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Northern Ireland, the latest stout was celebrated as the best tasting product from here at the Great Taste Golden Fork Dinner in London, where over 350 guests from the world of fine food gathered to discover the stars of food and drink.

 “The latest Great Taste recognition was tremendously important in helping to raise the profile of my beers especially in Great Britain, a hugely important market for us. We were the first brewery in Northern Ireland to win a regional fork in the highly influential process,” adds Bernard.

Craft and Casks whiskeys were finished in beer barrels from Whitewater to “disrupt the taste profile’ of the Irish whiskey scene”. And they did.

The hugely innovative collaboration widened the distillery’s growing portfolio and brought its collection of whiskeys to nine. The Craft & Casks range follows on from the distillery’s release of an 18-year-old single malt finished in Château de la Ligne Grand Reserve wine casks ahead of Christmas 2020. Further innovative collaborations are in the pipeline.

“I really enjoy working with Hinch Distillery on new drinks. There’s a great team there. We’ve developed a close relationship, and they are always willing to explore new ideas,” Bernard says. “I have long been keen to work with other artisan producers here and have links with Tempted Cider in Armagh and Corndale Farm Free Range Charcuterie in Limavady. The charcuterie is being used in pizzas for sale in the brewery. I love Corndale’s delicious nduja and Tempted’s range of local ciders,” he adds.

The pizzas are being developed by Bernard for visitors to the brewery and for the local community. “We’ve got a producer’s licence which enables us to sell our beers on-site to people visiting the brewery,” he explains. “It means tourists and other visitors can see how we brew our drinks and then enjoy a pizza with a beer in our purpose-built visitor centre,” he adds.

He has experience of the pizza business from the time when he owned the White Horse Inn in Saintfield with its Flaming Crust premium pizzeria.

Creating innovative flavours is Bernard’s passion. And it’s one which has produced considerable business success in the fiercely competitive and price sensitive beer marketplace. He’s been brewing his own beers for more than 21 years with wife Kerry and now operates from one of our most modern breweries.

Starting the new brewery in Castlewellan meant a switch of location from Kilkeel, the original site of what was then a craft brewery to nearby Castlewellan. Both share a picturesque setting nestled in the foothills of the iconic Mournes he loves.

Some of his popular beers carry brands reflecting the region. Maggie’s Leap, among his most successful, is named after a mythical figure there,  Ewe Rebel after the sheep that roam the mountains, and Hen, Cock and Pigeon Rock, a well-known landmark. Maggies Leap also collected an Irish Quality Award and an International Beer Challenge recognition. His Belfast Lager and Belfast Åle have gained a raft of major quality awards.