Landmark deal in New York for Fermanagh’s unique Boatyard Gin

Entrepreneur Joe McGirr and his team at Fermanagh’s Boatyard Distillery were celebrating justifiably the despatch of the company’s first container loaded with of innovative double distilled gin to many of the best bars in New York last week.

The latest deal for Boatyard – the distillery’s biggest in the US to date - is the outcome of a decision last year to invest in an experienced industry professional Michael Smoley, as its market manager in New York city.

Michael’s brief is to drive sales of Boatyard’s unique spirits which include the original double gin, Ireland’s first, ‘Old Tom’ gin and sloe gin initially in New York and then to other parts of the world’s biggest marketplace for spirits.

In addition to its gin range, Boatyard has developed a premium vodka and is currently maturing a single malt Irish whiskey.

The boost for gin distilling here from the US follows the launch of an exciting strategy by Drinks Ireland, the body representing many producers in NI and the RoI. The strategy, the first all-Ireland initiative for the industry, targeted key global markets such as the US for even faster growth in sales.

Michael joined Boatyard, the first gin distillery in Fermanagh in over a century, after five years running bars at the prestigious NoMad Hotel in London’s Covent Garden over five years. The NoMad has featured on lists of the ‘World’s Top Bars’.

Michael continues: “I was excited about the challenge of launching a new gin brand (an extremely competitive category) in New York, a fiercely competitive marketplace. Our US launch in May of 2021 has been followed by amazing support from across the hospitality industry. Our Boatyard Double Gin can now be found on cocktail menus and back bars throughout New York including the famed Dead Rabbit and the legendary Dante, which have been named among ‘The World’s Best Bars’ in the past.”

Dante, a landmark in New York’s renowned Greenwich Village, has been mixing cocktails since 1915 and was named at the top of the world’s best bars in 2019.

The multi-award winning Dead Rabbit, of course, is owned by Belfast-born duo Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry who opened it in 2012. Named the ‘Best Pub in the World’ in 2016, the Dead Rabbit is located in Manhattan and has influenced a host of premium hostelries across New York.

“From day one Boatyard’s values have perfectly aligned with mine – they put their people first, they’re obsessed with quality, and they’re doing it all in a sustainable way, ensuring that we are here to stay,” Michael says.

The latest container shipment will help restock this and other select cocktail bars across the city with Boatyard’s innovative double distilled gins and support New York vibrant cocktail sector.

“The US is also seeing something of a classic martini revival and our gin has already found a home in many of the city’s best iterations. From Michelin-starred restaurants to Irish pubs, Boatyard Double Gin is quickly becoming the Irish gin of choice across New York. I’m looking forward to sharing our gin with the rest of the country in due time,” explains Michael.

The Boatyard Distillery, founded by Joe McGirr in 2016 close to Enniskillen, is focused on crafting premium spirits that combine quality with provenance, heritage and sustainability through organic ingredients.

Boatyard Double Gin, a 46% ABV Irish distilled gin, contains a locally foraged botanical called ‘Sweet Gale’, in an otherwise classic recipe. The ‘double’ in its name refers to a double contact with juniper during distillation, resulting in unique taste that’s perfect for the martinis popular with cocktail ‘mixologists’ in New York and increasingly in other parts of the world.

Speaking of the distillery’s latest news, Joe says: “This is a landmark for us in the US which shows the value of appointing our own marketing expert there to work alongside Empire Merchants, our distributors. As a business, we certainly don’t have limitless resources, but securing the services of Michael has allowed us to ensure that the essential Boatyard service commitment has crossed the Atlantic.”

Joe grew up working the family dairy farm, near picturesque Lough Erne, with father Michael and brother Brian. He studied at university in Scotland and subsequently developed a career in the drinks industry in Britain and further afield, including South Africa, France, and Italy, before returning to Fermanagh to set up a distillery in a revamped boat house overlooking Lough Erne.

“Boatyard Gin is very special as the organically produced wheat spirit goes through a double contact distillation process for a more pronounced flavour,” explains Joe. “It is infused and distilled with Sweet Gale that we pick from the bogs of Fermanagh, along with the more familiar notes of juniper, lemon, and five other botanicals, to give the gin a very distinctive taste.”

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