Fermanagh distillery’s eco pouches help preserve natural environment

Leading Irish spirits maker, The Boatyard Distillery, which is based near Enniskillen, has developed highly innovative eco packaging for its range of successful beverages as part of its longstanding focus on preserving the environment.

Boatyard managing director Joe McGirr, who founded the distillery in 2013 – the first in Fermanagh since 1890 – has revealed that the company’s award-winning gins and vodka are now available in unique eco pouches for the first time in Ireland.

Fermanagh native Joe, an experienced industry professional, continues: “Both Boatyard double gin and Boatyard vodka are now available in 2.4L recyclable eco pouches, each equivalent to four 70cl bottles. The pouches reduce packaging by a massive 84%. This also reduces carbon emissions to 3.96kg from the equivalent 9.8kg when in bottle format.

“This means customers can retain the bottles - a heavy drain on energy to produce - and use the new recyclable pouches to refill them.”

More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars currently end up in landfill every year worldwide.

Joe’s commitment to - and respect for - the environment is based on his upbringing on a local family dairy farm, near Enniskillen.

“The distillery sits proudly on the banks of Lough Erne, a setting of true natural beauty which gives our operation an extra strong reminder, on a daily basis, of how important sustainability is.

“We play an important role in our local community, and we are committed to being carbon neutral by 2023 at the very latest. Our existing bottles are already made from extra flint recycled glass.

“The corks are both natural and unvarnished, made from wood sourced from ecologically and sustainably managed forests in Portugal. Our labels are also produced from recycled paper. Our existing wrapping is made from recyclable paper and our shipping cartons from recycled pulp,” he explains.

Some of the waste fruit from distillation is sent to be composted, the citrus juices are reused in drinks often being dropped off to local bartenders, and also used for chutney and some Boatyard marmalade. Waste is also used to feed cattle on the family farm.

Boatyard’s pioneering eco pouches are the latest sustainability initiative at the distillery, which is maturing and will soon introduce a single malt whiskey

The progressive exporter has enjoyed substantial growth in the on-trade market with many of the world’s most famed bars and restaurants. “The new pouches are very much aimed at cocktail bars and restaurants, where they will be used to refill empty Boatyard bottles or for batching cocktails,” Joe explains.

The distillery recently gained a listing by a leading distributor in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and is working on original cocktails for the high-end Charles H cocktail bar in the Four Seasons Hotel there, one of the world’s top 50 cocktail bars.

The business is also working with the high profile Baccarat Bar in the iconic Harrods department store in London’s classy Knightsbridge on innovative cocktails. Spirits are also supplied by the leading local distillery to the prestigious Savoy Hotel, also in London, as well as New York’s Dead Rabbit Bar, regarded as one of the world’s best bars.

Focused on creating farm-to-bottle spirits using locally-sourced botanicals and other ingredients that celebrate the county’s rural setting, Boatyard’s collection includes three core premium spirits: Boatyard double gin, Boatyard Old Tom Gin and Boatyard vodka – alongside seasonal limited editions, all developed to Joe’s exclusive recipes. All have won widespread acclaim for their premium quality and

distinctive flavours.

“The new pouches include freepost so the empties can be dropped into any Royal Mail post box with no stamp, extra packaging or address required to be sent back to our distillery, where they will be recycled with TerraCycle, a global pioneer of solutions that eliminate waste,” he continues. They use less energy to produce than bottles and transport, and can be easily recycled.

“Efforts, furthermore, are being made by us to eliminate single-use glass bottles in the distillery visitor centre, and a bottle refill programme allowing customers to take their own bottle back to us for refilling.

“We have named this our Eco Refill Station. Our sustainability plans are constantly improving and we are very proud to have our eco pouches released as part of this exciting journey towards sustainability and environmental preservation.”

Declan McGurk, Boatyard Distillery commercial director, adds: “More and more of our bar and restaurant partners are becoming more sustainably minded and we are keen to support them in this important work. We will continue to work closely with them to eliminate more and more needless waste.”