New £15m whiskey and gin distillery and jobs for Co Down

Dr Terry Cross OBE, the man behind Delta Print & Packaging Ltd, has invested in a 30,000 sq ft distillery located between Belfast and Ballynahinch.

The distillery will produce his Craft Hinch Irish Whiskey brands and Ninth Wave Gin, as well as opening up the distillery to visitors.

The distillery, which is due to be completed between spring and early summer 2020, will span two floors which will house the large Irish whiskey and gin distillery, bottling line, storage facilities and offices.

Hinch Distillery, which is named after neighbouring Ballynahinch, will use local materials and artisan craftsmen to ensure the project is a real celebration of the best which can be produced in Northern Ireland.

Dr. Cross OBE said: “Irish whiskey has continually been the fastest growing spirit category in the world over the last 10 years, nearly trebling in size. This trend is forecast to continue in the future with Irish whiskey beginning to approach and indeed overtake sales of Scotch in many international markets.

“The world gin market has also witnessed phenomenal growth in the last few years yet still has huge potential to grow in markets where gin is still a relatively small category.

“We are launching the Hinch Distillery to provide visitors with a highly differentiated product and experience that couples the production of our quality spirits with a story and heritage.

“We hope it will become an attraction in its own right and offer guests a real understanding of the skills and methods needed to produce our spirits.”

Dr. Cross is no stranger to the drinks industry having restored Château de La Ligne, a Bordeaux vineyard to its former glory more than 20 years ago.

He has been carrying on the tradition of the estate by producing a variety of classic Bordeaux wines. Derek Hardy has been appointed managing director of the new operation.

Mr Hardy said: “Hinch Irish Whiskeys and Ninth Wave Gin are already making waves globally. We have a presence in 15 markets including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US and European countries. Our goal is to double our export markets by the end of 2020 and the timing of the Hinch Distillery opening couldn’t come at a better time for us.

“We want to celebrate our successful products at home, where they are made and invite Northern Ireland to be part of that.”

Invest Northern Ireland has offered £1.9m of support towards the construction of the new distillery and investment in plant, machinery and equipment.

Executive director of business & sector development at Invest NI, Brian Dolaghan, said: “We are delighted to support Terry and his team in the development of this new distillery and visitor centre. Drinks tourism is a growing sector for Northern Ireland and Hinch Distillery can play a role in expanding the variety of what’s on offer here already.

“As well as our support towards the construction of the distillery and visitor centre, we are also helping the company market its new products. Over 95% of Irish whiskey production is exported so we have been supporting Hinch to explore export markets where they are seeing good traction.”