Co-founder of Rademon Estate Distillers elected chairperson of Drinks Ireland Spirits Council

Drinks Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the Irish drinks sector, has announced that David Boyd-Armstrong of Rademon Estate Distillery in Co Down has been elected to a two-year term as chair of Drinks Ireland Spirits Council, taking over from Bryan Fallon of Heaven Hill.

David Boyd-Armstrong will chair Drinks Ireland | Spirits, which represents the spirits industry across the island of Ireland on policy advocacy, taxation, trade & market developments, and the ongoing international protection of Ireland’s Geographic Indicators (GIs).

David is director of distilling and blending at Rademon Estate Distillery, which he co-founded with Fiona Boyd-Armstrong in 2012. The Rademon Estate is one of the oldest in the country and the Distillery is famous for its Shortcross Gin.

He is also a warden rectifier in the Gin Guild and was previously vice-chair of the Drinks Ireland | Spirits council.

Speaking on his appointment, incoming chair of Drinks Ireland | Spirits David Boyd-Armstrong, said: “The spirits industry across the island of Ireland has a vibrant offering and is central to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the island.

"Domestic sales and exports have steadily risen after a challenging few years. It is wonderful to see the growing awareness and appreciation both at home and abroad of unmatched quality of Irish spirits, especially our protected Geographic Indication (GI) spirits: Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream and Poitín. I look forward to helping bring the category into a new chapter of continued success and growth.”

Head of Drinks Ireland | Spirits Aengus King, explained: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the category with our members producing high quality drinks for enjoyment by consumers here at home but also across some 120 export markets.

"These businesses are situated in every county across the country, creating jobs and stimulating local economic activity. Our exports have shown remarkable growth over the last decade, and we are confident of the long-term future development of our sector, nonetheless there are challenging economic headwinds impacting on the sector at present - inflationary impact on inputs and consumer spending globally, high excise duties and the cost of finance.

"However, I know that David Boyd-Armstrong will bring his years of invaluable experience and expertise to the role of chair, and I look forward to working with him. I also want to sincerely thank our outgoing chair, Bryan Fallon, for his years of hard work.”