A new all-island strategy has set out plans by Irish Gin producers and brand owners to maintain market share and grow sales by 2026. The plan sets out a range of goals and actions to develop a vibrant domestic Irish market, drive exports in key markets, support the viability of Irish Gin distilleries and ensure the quality and standards of Irish Gin are protected.

There are now at least 37 distilleries producing Irish Gin on the island of Ireland, with over 70 brands. This includes at least eight Irish Gin producing distilleries in Northern Ireland.

The Irish Gin Strategy 2022-2026 from Drinks Ireland|Spirits, the all-island trade body, was launched at an event in Belfast tonight.

It details how Irish Gin and gin has experienced a number of years of very strong growth, where sales soared. Between 2014 and 2020 the Irish Gin and gin category grew by an estimated 184 percent

While the ‘boom’ has been slowing in recent years, 2020 was the first year where Irish Gin and gin sales declined, as a direct result of the pandemic. As the on-trade reopens, and Global Travel Retail recovers, it’s anticipated that the category will return to pre-pandemic levels over time, and the new strategy details plans to maintain this hard-won market share and drive strong and sustainable growth in the years ahead.

Currently, Ireland is the dominant market for Irish Gin, but the strategy puts a heavy focus on driving export growth, earmarking the U.K., USA, Germany, Canada and Global Travel Retail as key targets in the coming years.

Asia – and China specifically – has also been identified as a target market, due to its size, growing stature and value heritage, which Irish distilling has, and innovation which drives much of the Irish Gin category.

Irish Gin is a premium plus product which has been established as a world-leader in terms of quality and authenticity. This has and will be key to positioning the category internationally, according to Drinks Ireland|Spirits.

The strategy also outlines how the sector plans to further grow the category domestically, by highlighting the local nature of Irish Gin products and the important role they play in the economic viability of the hinterlands that their producers and brand owners are based in.

 Overall, The Irish Gin Strategy 2022-2026 sets out four goals for the category, with a number of corresponding actions:

1. To promote world-leading standards for quality and authenticity
2. To sustain a vibrant home market for Irish Gin
3. To promote Irish Gin worldwide, starting in the key target markets
4. To support the viability of Irish gin distilleries

Gordon Lyons MLA, Minister for the Economy, Northern Ireland Executive said: “May I commend Drinks Ireland and the Irish Gin Working Group on preparation of the Strategy. I also wish to recognise the commitment and ambition of our local spirits producers and the contribution they are making towards regional employment, export sales and enhancing Northern Ireland’s international reputation as a producer of world-class food & drink.”

David Boyd-Armstrong, Chairman of the Drinks Ireland|Spirits’ Irish Gin working group, and joint founder and Director of Distilling, Rademon Estate Distillery in Co. Down, which creates Shortcross Gin said: “The Irish Gin sector has grown extremely quickly in recent years, driven by innovative and ambitious producers and brand owners, dedicated to creating quality and authentic products. Our strategy will enable the industry to take advantage of the opportunities in the domestic and international market and face the various challenges ahead. A key part of our strategy centres on protecting the Irish Gin category, and we will be working to seek the introduction of rules covering the marketing and labelling of Irish Gin in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to ensure consumers know what they are buying.”

Vincent McGovern, Director of Drinks Ireland|Spirits said: “Irish Gin has been a true success story in recent years. Our members employ dozens of people across both urban and rural Ireland producing this much-loved spirit and exporting to markets across the globe. Following a number of years of very fast growth, and in the context of the ever-changing national and international conditions, there was the need for a fresh strategy for the sector, to ensure it can recover from Covid-19, and continue to grow in the years ahead.”

Jawbox Gin has secured a listing with the global travel retail company Dufry, which will see the listing of the brand’s travel retail exclusive Export Strength Gin available in the travel retailer’s World Duty Free store at Belfast City Airport. 

Containing a higher ABV than other products in the range, Jawbox Export Strength is bottled at 47% ABV and is triple-distilled to give the liquid a smoother profile. The higher strength liquid is a more intense expression of Jawbox Small Batch Gin and is perfect for cocktails. The bespoke bottle has been designed to further enhance its visual impact and individuality on the travel retail shelves, with a sleek black matt finish. 

Jawbox Export Strength Gin has been developed in homage to the brand’s Northern Irish roots. Belfast is a city renowned for its innovation and history and the inspiration for Jawbox Export Strength comes from the city’s Victorian golden age when it was a global manufacturing powerhouse, importing and exporting goods from around the world. The name ‘Jawbox’, as many locals know, comes from the nickname for the famous Belfast kitchen sink, a lasting symbol of the city’s great industrial heritage in the early 1900s. A lot of laughter and craic was heard around the Jawbox. It still is.

The Jawbox Distillery is located on a 300-acre 16th century estate where much of the grain for the spirit is grown and harvested. Jawbox Small Batch Gin is triple-distilled very slowly in traditional copper pot stills and in small batches using a unique combination of 11 carefully selected botanicals. Most of these are ‘steep and boil’ and the final three botanicals are put through the vapour extraction method to preserve their delicate flavour and aroma. 

The award-winning Jawbox Gin is distributed by Kirker Greer Spirits. John Soden CCO of Kirker Greer Spirits said: “We are delighted to partner with Dufry on our Jawbox Gin brand and see it available in their World Duty Free stores in Belfast City Airport, in the brand’s home country. We have seen distribution for Jawbox expand across Europe and Australia, but we haven’t forgotten the importance of our local market. The Belfast City Airport listing will allow Jawbox to be visible to thousands of visitors and the exclusive bottle will be an attractive offering. We look forward to working with the team at Dufry and building upon the success of Jawbox across this channel over the coming years.”

Aisha Dad, Dufry’s Category Manager for Liquor in the UK said: ‘’We always strive to offer our customers the best possible shopping experience. Listing Jawbox Export Strength Gin allows us to promote an award-winning local product, which is always of interest to our passengers. The bottle has great on-shelf presence and the fact that it’s a unique and exclusive line is an added bonus.  We look forward to offering it to our customers from April.’’

Dufry has more than 60 years of travel retail experience – just one of the factors that has contributed to the company’s successful position today as one of the leading travel retailers worldwide.

Killowen Distillery in Northern Ireland has launched its small batch Irish whiskeys online in the US.

Based near Rostrevor in the iconic Mourne Mountains, Killowen’s small batch Irish whiskeys, all cask strength, are now being imported to the US by High Road Spirits of Chicago, a leading importer of quality international spirits to many states, and online via California’s Folsom Wines and Spirits.

Whiskeys being made available in the US include the small distillery’s 5-year-old- single malt rum and raisin, a small-batch core, and other products from its acclaimed Bonded Experimental Series, some of the most exciting limited edition blends being distilled in Ireland.

Brendan Carty, founder and managing director of Killowen Distillery, says the products for the US are unique in that each distilling is always likely to be different. “In the true sense of Killowen, absolute consistency is never our aim, thankfully any future rum and raisin single malt batches will be slightly different. It’s always fun to revisit and see if we can improve upon perfection,” he adds.

Killowen, which has also produced successful gins and a dark rum, will be releasing a small-batch flame-fed poitín, described as “the mother of all whiskeys” in the US. “Poitín, has survived centuries of oppression from colonialism and later powerful whiskey lobbies at home. Poitín’s day will come, but until then, it is enjoying a huge upsurge in popularity throughout Ireland and internationally among those in the know,” he adds.

“At its best, poitín is made in small batches, using flame-fed distillation, worm tub condensation and creative mash bills,’ he continues.  Killowen has already dubbed 2022 as ‘The Year of the Poitín’.

Killowen Distillery was established by Mr Carty in 2016 and has launched whiskeys, gins, dark rum and poitín that have attracted international attention for quality, innovation and taste. The distillery has also developed a range of hard seltzer flavoured drinks.

A novel range of fresh Jamaican patties has been developed and launched by Carolyn Stewart, a successful producer of award-winning Caribbean sauces, pickles and marinades under her Totally Hot NI artisan business.

The new hot and tasty snacks are made from flaky pastry filled with hot spicy mince steak, chicken or vegetables to produce delicious hand-held food using spices from the Caribbean.

The new patties are based on Carolyn’s own and unique recipes from her experience holidaying in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean over many years.

Carolyn, a well-known radio broadcaster in Northern Ireland, developed the hot snacks in her mission to bring the rich and spicy flavours of the Caribbean islands to food lovers in Northern Ireland to add to their own meals.

The new patties represent a significant diversification for the small and highly innovative business which is based near Holywood in county Down. She creates the recipes for all her original products in her home kitchen and manufacturing by another local business.

The creative entrepreneur’s artisan small business has won major UK and Irish food awards, including Great Taste and Blas na hEireann endorsements, for her tasty sauces which were rebranded attractively last year.  

The delicious patties join an impressive portfolio of six original spicy sauces, pickles and seasonings, all of which are available from the company’s on-line shop.

A keen gardener and adventurous cook, Carolyn has carried her passion for bold, rich and colourful flavours into new products which were developed during the covid-19 lockdowns.

Carolyn launched her artisan business venture in 2016 to test the market for Caribbean flavours and found encouraging demand from food lovers in Northern Ireland. The products are marketed by Carolyn and are now readily available in delis, farm shops and independent grocers across Northern Ireland.

Top poultry Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s top manufacturer, according to a survey just published which highlights the importance of food and drink to the local economy.

The Co Armagh-based manufacturer of chicken products is at the top of InsiderNorthern Ireland Manufacturing 100 list for 2022 – the annual list of the top performing manufacturing and engineering businesses based in Northern Ireland by turnover. The Northern Ireland Manufacturing 100 is sponsored by Deloitte, HSBC UK and MSC Group.

The top three businesses in 2022 list are poultry producer Moy Park (1), animal feed supplier W & R Barnett (2) and pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer Almac (3).

The highest climber in the list is dough-based product manufacturer Crust and Crumb from Derrylin in county Fermanagh (up from 97 last year to 62). The study says this company’s sharp rise in turnover “might not be so surprising given the general upsurge in demand for pizzas during the various national lockdowns”. Family-owned Crust and Crumb bakery specialises in dough-based foods such as pizzas for major supermarkets in the UK and Ireland including Aldi.

The top 10 companies also includes feed and grain processor W&R Barnett in Belfast (2); distributor SHS Group, Belfast (5); Dale Farm (6), the region’s biggest dairy processor; and Foyle Food Group, Derry (9), a major meat producer.

Other food and drink processors on the list include meat processor Linden Foods (15) Dungannon; Leckpatrick Dairies, Coleraine (18), a producer of milk and other dairy products; Lynn’s Country Foods, Downpatrick (26), owner of Finnebrogue Venison; and Cranswick Foods, Ballymena (27), a specialist in pork products.

Commenting on the Manufacturing 100, Philip Cunliffe, Insider’s regional business editor for Northern Ireland, said: “It’s always interesting to see how the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland has performed during the year. The pandemic has seen many of them grow significantly, although there have been some casualties too as market forces have taken their toll. But despite some worrying headwinds – supply chain delays, skills shortages and cost of material increases – overall the sector has performed extremely well over the year. The Manufacturing 100 list proves, once again, that Northern Ireland manufacturers punch well above their weight.”

Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, writing in a blog piece alongside the published list, commented on the success NI manufacturers are having with exports. He said: “Local businesses have sold more than €1,000m more to Ireland in 2021 which is 60 per cent more than in 2020 whilst GB’s exports to the EU are minus 16 per cent.”

But he went on to add that, although things appear to be running smoothly across the Irish Sea Border, there are potential difficulties ahead.  He explained: “The costs and disruption in moving goods from Britain are real and, in many cases, unnecessary. They need to be fixed before the grace periods on foods, medicines and parcels come to an end.”