The Boatyard Distillery becomes most sustainable in Ireland achieving B Corp certification

After a 14 month validation process, the Lough Erne distillery earned the prestigious title after meeting each standard as a leader in social and environmental preservation. The firm joins over 6,000 companies globally across 150 industries.

The certification signals a huge milestone in the brands ethical, sustainable, and environmentally conscious mission.

B Corp certification rewards the achievement of the highest levels of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability.

The initiative was led by one of the Boatyard Distillery key team members, Rebecca McGorty who herself has just been nominated for “Young Sustainability Champion’ at the NI Sustainability awards at the end of February.

Chief executive officer Joe McGirr, who founded the Boatyard Distillery in 2016, said: “The certification is a real testament to our team having a continuous improvement mindset and to lead positive change in our industry. Over a year of intense examination into our business, we are very excited to join the B Corp community and to be the first distillery on the island of Ireland to become part of the global movement.

Declan McGurk, Boatyard Distillery commercial director, explained: “I came across B Corp several years ago, and at home it started dictating domestic purchases from our toilet roll, to even our peanut butter. This inspired me to think, we at Boatyard should take the challenge to achieve certification.

“What I love about it is that it is a culture of measurability on initiatives such as sustainability, which sometimes can be sweeping statements acting as marketing jargon. The movement is still young, and we plan to help inspire others to attempt to achieve certification.”

The certification comes less than six weeks after the Boatyard Distillery was named by Drinks International annual report as top 10 trending global gin and vodka brands.

Declan continued: “The Boatyard Distillery continues to enjoy substantial growth in the on-trade market with many of the most famed bars and restaurants around the world opting to use Boatyard spirits. We plan for our B Corp certified spirits to be the first choice ingredients for any cocktails around the world.”

The certification also encapsulates a range of sustainability initiatives undertaken at The Boatyard Distillery. They have eliminated single-use glass bottles in the distillery visitor centre and created a bottle refill programme allowing customers to take their own bottle back to the distillery for refilling with a newly designed eco refill station. More recently they have launched a refill pouch for use in bars and restaurants which uses 84% less packaging than a conventional bottle.

Joe added: “Fermanagh has so much to offer for tourists when they come to visit - from beautiful lakes to some of the best pubs and restaurants in Ireland. Our vision is to play an important part in that. We love to welcome people into our Fermanagh home and to encourage them to enjoy our handcrafted spirits.”