Jawbox - new gin distilled in Northern Ireland

A premium gin distilled in Northern Ireland from locally-grown barley is being launched in early 2016 - in time to mark the region's inaugural Year of Food and Drink. The new gin will appear under the Jawbox brand and is being produced by Gerry White, an experienced publican in Belfast, in a tie-up with Echlinville Distillery at Kircubbin, county Down. White has formed the Jawbox Spirits Company in Belfast to develop and market the gin (46% proof) in distinctive 70cl bottles. Echlinville recently began producing natural grain spirit for a range of products including its own Dunville Irish Whiskey and Echlinville Malt Whiskey brands. All the spirits are being produced from barley grown on the 18-acre Echlinville estate. The company is only the second licensed whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland. Jawbox takes its name from the large metal kitchen sinks which were a feature in Belfast homes in the Victorian era. The product design also features a Victorian-style medicine bottle and branding. White has been working on the development of the gin for over six years. White says the gin will have "a juniper berry profile, and a more classic flavour than some of the other small-batch varieties currently on the market". "My aim is to revive the gin making tradition in Belfast that dates back to the 19th century. It has its roots deep in the history and traditions of the city, and I want to see it on sale in Britain, theRepublic of Ireland, other parts of Europe and the US," he adds. A veteran of the pub trade in Northern Ireland for 30 years, he's been at the helm of the award-winning John Hewitt bar in Belfast for the past 10 years.