Golds for Northern Ireland's Quiet Man in Irish Whiskey Masters
The Quiet Man 12-year single malt whiskey has won a gold award in the Irish Whiskey Masters held by the Spirits Business magazine to celebrate the distillers "adding zest to the country's whiskey offerings".
And there was also a gold for the company's Standard Blended Irish Whiskey. In addition, The Quiet Man 8-year old Single Malt gained a silver award.
The Quiet Man is being developed in Derry by Niche Drinks which is currently completing the construction of a new state-of-the-art distillery in the city, the first in over a century. The distillery is scheduled for completion next year and will feature a distinctive visitors' centre on the site at Ebrington Square on the outskirts of Derry.
Single malt and blended whiskey products from the small company, owned and managed by Ciaran Mulgrew, are now on sale in around 30 countries worldwide. The products also gained four silver awards in the recent International Wines and Spirits Competition in London.
The Quiet Man gained gold in the Single Malt Premium category in the Spirits Business. It was the only whiskey from Northern Ireland listed.
The magazine said "Ireland is celebrating a revival of an entirely new variety. More than a century after the Irish Literary Revival, when the work of poetic luminaries such as William Butler Yeats rose to prominence, Ireland is celebrating a revival of an entirely new variety.
"The so-called 'Irish whiskey renaissance' has taken hold, as sales rocket and new distilleries open at an unprecedented rate. The category has also firmly established its premium trajectory, while at the same time brands are enticing consumers and bartenders alike with their experimental and high-quality offerings."
The awards were judged by Tobias Gorn, whisky and cigar sommelier at Boisdale, Joe Boxall, group bars manager at Boisdale, and Karen Taylor, founder of the Whisky for Everyone blog. The competition was chaired by Amy Hopkins, editor of The Spirits Business.
The Quiet Man won praise for its "gingery finish" and a spicy finish was really nice and unexpected." The judges felt Irish was "as good as Scotch".
Overall, judges were heartened by the clear quality and diversity through the sub categories of Irish whiskey. "It's really exciting to see the variation in Irish whiskey at the moment - there's a lot of complexity on display," said Karen Taylor.
"Some people say there's standardisation in the industry, but I think this competition has proved it's not the case. The standout for me was the pot stills, and it was wonderful to see such a high standard in the category that Ireland owns. It's going to be even more exciting as more distilleries start producing in the future."
