M&S lists Northern Ireland's Boatyard Gin

Boatyard Distillery in Northern Ireland has won business with Marks and Spencer for its award winning double gin.

The company, which has converted a former boathouse overlooking the picturesque Lough Erne in county Fermanagh into a state-of-the-art craft distillery, is supplying the popular craft gin to 18 M&S stores in Northern Ireland with the potential to extend to the retailer's network in Great Britain. The listing is Boatyard's first with M&S.

Joe McGirr, Boatyard's founder and chief executive, commenting on the listing, says: "We are incredibly excited to be chosen by M&S and to be included amongst some top quality products.

"I feel Boatyard gin fits fantastically well into their premium selection of spirits. It's a great boost for the business…and just in time for the hugely important Christmas season.

"We are looking forward to working with the M&S team to develop sales of our distinctive gin on promotional activities. The recent recommendation by the influential Olive food magazine as one of the best gins for autumn is another marvellous endorsement of Boatyard and will help to raise our profile in Britain, particularly among consumers," he adds.

The distillery was launched in 2016 and has won a string of international and national awards for its outstanding taste and packaging.

"Boatyard Gin is very special as the organically produced wheat spirit goes through a double contact process with the botanicals for a more pronounced flavour. The organic gin includes botanicals such as Sweet-Gale harvested from the family farm in Fermanagh. "Sweet Gale is a small shrub which grows wild in bogland and its leaves are sweetly scented, dark green and very fragrant," he continues.

Boatyard Gin is the first of a series of spirits that the distillery plans to produce. It has already started producing small batches of whiskey and vodka.

The second phase of structural work at the site will see the creation of a larger spirits production area. Work on this phase will start after completing the successful funding and investment round and will get underway early next year.