THE Feckin Drinks Co is rolling out a rebrand of its popular Irish whiskey, while introducing a new gin and vodka to its portfolio of drinks.
Feckin, which is is produced at the Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin, first hit the spirits scene in 2005 with the launch of its whiskey, which enjoyed success across Ireland, the USA and Europe. And since then, a refreshing lemon infused gin and a smooth crisp vodka have been added to the range.
Anne-Marie Watson from the Feckin Drinks Co said: “The spirits business has become very crowded in recent years. The market is awash with premium craft brands with clever but extremely serious branding.
"With Feckin we have sought to create something a little less highbrow and lot more fun. Ours is a brand with a great sense of humour. It’s edgy, witty, a little bit cheeky and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
"It sets out to appeal to anyone who might be tiring of all the high-faluting talk around spirits these days, and gets back to basics with great tasting whiskey, gin and vodka with a splash of wisecrack thrown in for good measure.”
While the Feckin name is a slang expletive synonymous with the Father Ted TV, Anne-Marie explains: “Feckin is actually derived from the Irish verb ‘feck’, meaning to steal, throw or leave in a hurry.
"It is also the name of an old Irish saint. St Fechin founded several monasteries around Ireland in the 7th century. He had supernatural powers and healing abilities. But he wasn’t willing to use those gifts to save himself and he died from the yellow plague in 684AD.”
In 2014 Echlinville Distillery was granted the first licence to distil spirits in Northern Ireland in more than 130 years, and since it has been advancing with expansion plans to include a restaurant, museum and visitors' centre.
