Business boost in Britain for Fermanagh’s Boatyard spirits
Top bartenders across the UK have named gin and vodka from Boatyard Distillery in Fermanagh as the best.
Spirits from the small distillery overlooking the picturesque Lough Erne have been recognised for their superb quality and outstanding taste in the inaugural Class Report by Bar magazine
In addition to the remarkable endorsement by leading bartenders, Boatyard Distillery, a FoodNI member, was also listed the number seven best-selling gin, and number eight best-selling vodka. Boatyard is clearly holding its own among the world’s most recognised global players in both spirits.
Reporting on both the bartenders’ favourites as well as the best-selling brands,
the Class Report brings the UK bar industry insight into what brands the best
bars in the UK are using and their buying and selling habits. Brands do not enter these awards but are identified by consumer behaviour and the bartenders themselves as the brands that really excite them.
Commercial director at Boatyard Distillery, Declan McGurk says: “This important recognition received directly from some of the best bartenders in the UK is testament to the quality and innovation of work we are doing.
“I am a big believer that a spirit brand is best built by putting the bottles into the finest bartenders’ hands, and so I am thrilled the bar professionals believe in what we are doing. The high value of the Boatyard brand by the best in the business gives us great momentum for growth, as we look to expand in global markets and stature,” adds Declan.
Founder of Boatyard Distillery, Joe McGirr continues: “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised so highly alongside the world’s best-known global brands. This is evidence that Boatyard’s organic and sustainable spirits are advancing on the world stage as a widely sought after liquid.
“We owe a huge amount of thanks to all the UK bartenders who work with Boatyard and believe in our ethos. Our whole team have done an incredible job producing and bringing our spirits into these incredible bars,” he adds.
In 2023 The Boatyard Distillery became the first distillery on the island of Ireland
to become B Corp certified, and was also awarded Northern Ireland sustainable
company of the year at the 2023 Business Eye awards.
The distillery currently produces a core range of four premium products – Boatyard Double Gin, Boatyard Old Tom Gin, Sloe Boat gin and Boatyard Vodka. The progressive company is also finishing its first generation of Irish whiskeys for release shortly.
The team also uses innovation to seek out new flavours and products for exclusive releases. They follow sustainable and environmentally conscious gin making practices where possible, continually looking at where improvements can be made.
Under Joe McGirr’s visionary leadership, Boatyard, for example, was the first distillery in Ireland to introduce recyclable pouches for consumers to refill already purchased glass bottles of the award-winning spirits.
With a radical shift in the way that consumers think about what they eat and drink, the Boatyard Distillery is now an agent of change in Ireland and in the distilling industry, intending to be at the front of the conversation, setting new standards in the world of spirits.
The progressive distillery places a great deal of emphasis on meticulously choosing the best quality ingredients and materials used in the spirits, from the beginning to end of the product, supporting and using organically farmed ingredients where possible including organic wheat sourced from an Irish farm.
The Boatyard Distillery team continues to question and challenge conventional beliefs and push boundaries to be the best it can be for its people, the wider community and environment.
The ambitious distillery takes its name from a former boatyard that has been converted sensitively into a state-of the-art, craft distillery overlooking the
picturesque lough. The complex also features a modern visitor and information centre which has hosted tourists from all over the world.
Joe McGirr’s concept for the distillery was born with the simple ethos to create award winning spirits from local ingredients for global markets. Since then, and
hundreds of thousands of gin and tonics later, Joe, an experienced spirit distiller, who learned his skills as major distilleries in Britain, and grew up on a family farm and his team, have developed the concept through to every level – a stunning location, precision engineering and spirit creation with a growing and passionate workforce. Among local ingredients is Sweet Gael, a Fermanagh favourite botanical, in the family’s bog.
The distillery has won international spirits awards for its distinctive bottle design
and branding.
The Boatyard Distillery now has a thriving on-trade business supplying its premium gins to some of the world’s best bars including the iconic American bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. The distillery has distribution partners in Ireland, UK, across Europe and is developing sales in the US. All major Irish airports and London city airport stock Boatyard products.
