Global taste winner created by local spirit magnate Terry

The impressive complex is now taking shape on the main Belfast to Newcastle road and has been designed to blend in with the rural setting. Some 12,000 native Irish trees are also being planted by Terry and his team to enhance the local environment.

“We were mindful of the local community and environment in designing and constructing the distillery in what is predominantly a farming community,” Terry

explains. “It is important to us to be an integral part of the area and also to be able to offer employment opportunities to local people whenever possible.” He plans to recruit 40 people.

The 30,000 sq. ft. distillery will contribute to the local community by attracting thousands of visitors annually to see how the Irish whiskey and gin are distilled. The spirits - Hinch Irish Whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin - are already an international success in markets as diverse as the US, the most recent, and China. In fact, the whiskey currently sold in around 23 countries.

“We are enjoying tremendous success with the range of whiskeys and gin,” Terry continues. Ninth Wave, in fact, is now the world’s most highly awarded gin. This is a great position to be in as we step up sales worldwide.”

The Ninth Wave Gin has collected the following awards over the past year:

 World Gin Awards - Gold Medal

 CWSA (China Wine & Spirits Awards) - Double Gold Medal & Gin of the Year

 AUISC (Australian International Spirits Competition) - Gold Medal

 Alberta Beverage Awards - Gold Medal & Best in Class

 ISC - International Spirits Challenge - Silver Medal

 IWSC - International Wine & Spirits Competition - Silver Medal

Terry continues: “Taking our first ever trophy at CWSA 2020 in China, for instance, makes the team very proud and is a highlight for us during what is a very surreal year for the trade. To win big during the current climate and at a competition that boasts one of the sternest blind tasting formulas there is, highlights the outstanding quality and flavour of the product.”

CWSA is the biggest and most prestigious wine and spirits competition in China. All 100 judges are carefully selected for being the top buyers of wines and spirits for this market and are importers, distributors, retailers and sommeliers. Wines and spirits enter from 55 countries and are all ‘blind tasted’.

“The Chinese wine and spirits market has grown massively in recent years, and with China’s economy growing on average 7-8 percent each year, it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The awards also demonstrate that our hard work and technical knowledge is recognised at the highest level and with CWSA recognition, customers and trade members can feel assured that they are serving up the best quality gin and whiskies around. The challenge for us now is to harness the awareness especially with buyers in hospitality and retail created by these awards and drive sales even faster. It’s one we are currently addressing. They are tremendous endorsements by the industry of the quality of our spirits. We are currently implementing an extensive marketing strategy to accelerate the growth in sales both short and long-term,” he says.

The company, which is being assisted by business development agency Invest NI, also received three other CWSA awards for its distinctive Irish whiskey range. This includes double gold for its Hinch 10-Year-Old Sherry Finish Irish whiskey, gold for its Hinch 5-Year-Old Double Wood and silver for its Hinch Peated Single Malt.

Terry brings to the distillery vast management experience especially from his role as the founder and subsequent chairman of Delta Print and Packaging in west Belfast, a major supplier to the likes of McDonald’s. He subsequently sold the business to global packaging giant Huhtamaki of Finland.

The new distillery, which is due to open officially in November, will cover two floors, housing the whiskey and gin production, bottling line, storage facilities and offices. The visitor centre is scheduled to open next year Ninth Wave taps into Celtic heritage particularly for the huge market in the US and Canada and their vast Irish expat communities. The gin is the craft work of Belfast-born head distiller Aaron Flaherty and his team, who have a wealth of experience working for some of Ireland and the UK’s best-known spirit brands.

Aaron adds: “Ninth Wave Gin is inspired by our fascination with Irish mythology, the mystical ‘Otherworld’ and its links to the sea which surrounds us. Our Irish gin has a bottle design, in ocean blue glass, incorporating the symbolism of the Celtic Triskellion (triple spiral) which adorns many ancient monuments throughout the island. We thought a beautiful gin deserved a beautiful bottle!”

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