The founder of Fermanagh’s first legal gin distillery in more than 100 years, which is now exporting to over 15 countries, said there has been an “explosion” in global demand for Irish spirits.
The Boatyard Distillery, situated on the banks of Lough Erne, is Fermanagh’s first legal distillery since 1890.
The distillery, specialising in gin, was founded by Joe McGirr who grew up on a farm near the current site.
Mr McGirr said he “fell in love” with the gin-making process while working in Edinburgh and fought hard to create a distillery in his home town.
“One of the first things was it was my home so growing up there, that was really, really important and knew the area, the kind of the lie of the land, there was super important for us,” he said.
“It is further west so we’re about an hour and a half from Belfast from Dublin, or slightly over but I think the important thing for me was just having that rural distillery, being on the banks of Lough Erne.
“I remember putting in the planning permission, and the authorities thought we were going to create three-eyed fish, we had to do ecology studies out in the water for example, and we fought for a year to get that because they wanted it to be in an industrial estate or somewhere safer for them, so we fought really hard to have it there.
“And for me, it’s one of the most beautiful facilities in the world. You can arrive by boat, or by car, right to the distillery door, and I don’t know of any other distillery in Scotland or elsewhere, where you can actually do that, sort of right to the door.
“So the place is very unique and very special, and you just can’t recreate that anywhere else.”
Mr McGirr said the distillery utilises local produce to create a flavour profile distinct to Northern Ireland.
“We set about trying to source organic based product, and we’re using organic wheat from a farmer in Monaghan and he grows us wheat, which sounds like a normal crop, but the amount of love that he’s got. And it’s in Monaghan so not that far from us,” he said.
“He grows his wheat on north-facing hills, they’re actually hard to harvest so they’re quite steeply sloped. That gives lots of drainage.
“It’s organic farming, so it’s a very much ‘shut the gate and see what happens’, no fertilisers or any separate chemicals going on there.”
He added: “What are the key base products for our spirits are really important and that follows through, it wouldn’t be the same if we couldn’t get that. Being less than an hour away is really important for us.”
Mr McGirr said despite the influx of bespoke products to the whiskey and gin markets, the character of Irish spirits is unique to the market.
“I think there is an explosion in Ireland, both sides of the border at the minute towards Irish spirits, and how good they can be and that diversity that we’ve got at the minute in Irish spirits is incredible,” he said.
“And you add into that the we’ve got this amazing thing called the distillery trail in Northern Ireland, which you can come and visit lots and lots of different distilleries, and you’d get a little card, we call it a passport, where you get stamped and that encourages people to kind of move around them and get different experiences, meet different people.
“It is about the people, I think with all of the distilleries in a world where there’s a lot of whiskey and gin distilleries but each one is individually different. They look and feel different. And the people are very different and I think that’s the takeaway. Collectively I feel like we’ve got something very special to bring to the world.”
The global popularity of Irish spirits have seen the Fermanagh distilled gin increase in popularity across the world.
“We do really well, and this one amazes me every time, in Seoul in South Korea,” Mr McGirr said.
“So we’ve got a lot of bars, like four seasons, we’ve got some amazing bars over there, and they love it. And when you see it being poured over there, and the passion that they’ve got, like they own it, that is just amazing.
“I haven’t been lucky enough to get to go there for a martini, yet, touch wood, but that day is coming.
“We’ve been in New York quite a few times and that’s always amazing when you see, and maybe it’s an ego thing as well, when you walk into a bar in New York, and someone’s order a Boatyard next to you and you’re like, this is amazing.”
The Boatyard distillery is the only distillery on the island of Ireland to be B Corp certified, a certification that measures accountability, transparency and sustainability.