Top quality award for Hughes Craft Distillery

Hughes Craft Distillery Company, the Northern Irish producer of RubyBlue artisan berry liqueurs, has been awarded SALSA accreditation.

The quality endorsement enables the family owned and managed business to build on successes in international events during 2013.

These successes included the top award for its RubyBlue Wild Blackcurrant liqueur in the annual Liqueur Masters, the industry's most prestigious international event. Other awards at the event included golds for RubyBlue Wild Cranberry Liqueur and RubyBlue Chilli Pepper and silver for RubyBlue Wild Blueberry Liqueur.

Other awards won include UK Great Taste Awards; Best In Ireland Award; Gold Winner 'Liqueur Masters International' and Gold medal in USA 'Tasting Panel Magazine'.

Hughes Craft Distillery is based at Lisburn in county Antrim and owned by husband and wife team Stuart and Barbara Hughes.

Barbara Hughes, commenting on SALSA accreditation, says: "Achieving SALSA is a major boost for the business and a tremendous endorsement of our commitment to quality products with safety and provenance. It will be benefit us as we seek to expand sales to both retail and foodservice sectors particularly hotels and premium cocktail bars in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and further afield.

"It's another important stage in the development of our business, an endorsement of our professionalism and focus on quality processes that ensure customers consistently high quality products that they can count on. It moves us up to a new level that will enable us to grow sales in target markets including Britain and the Republic.

"While we are focused on retaining our standing as an artisan handcrafted range of products, achieving the SALSA food standard shows that we have the systems to ensure consistent in quality and safety for retailers. Acquiring the SALSA safety standard is an essential requirement for us as we seek to grow our business particularly in international markets," she adds.

Hughes Craft Distillery has already won business in markets as diverse as Sweden, Australia, Turkey, the Lebanon and the Netherlands. on"

The company specialises in a range of original 100 per cent natural Irish liqueurs that are made with real ingredients such as berries or chilli peppers which are immersed and aged inside the bottle with Irish grain spirit to provide a fresh flavour, not syrupy and sweet as often expected. RubyBlue liqueurs can be enjoyed over ice, as a champagne topper or as an ideal mixer for a wide range of cocktails.

RubyBlue is a unique naturally bottle-aged liqueur - the first of its kind! With a choice of cranberry, wild blueberry, blackcurrant or chilli pepper RubyBlue is delicious over ice, in cocktails or added to champagne or prosecco to create Berry Bobbing Bellinis.