Northern Irish Jawbox named among the top gins

Northern Ireland's Jawbox has been listed among the top gins in the United Kingdom and from around the world.

Jawbox is listed among longer established gins such as Bombay Sapphire, Bath Tub, Tanqueray and Hendricks. The list was compiled by the Mirror newspaper as part of its celebration of World Gin Day.

The report describes Jawbox, established in 2016, as being "inspired by the industrial era of Ireland's past". It describes the gin as an "impressive blend of juniper and pine, balanced with sweet coriander".

Jawbox was created in 2016 by Gerry White, a leading figure in the hospitality sector in Belfast, and is named after the type of ceramic sink that featured in houses in the city during the early 20th century.

Mr White, commenting on the latest endorsement of Jawbox, says: "We are delighted to have achieved this recognition in Britain. We hope it will encourage more people to experience the gin."

The gin, which is distilled at Kircubbin, near Portaferry in county Down from barley grown in a surrounding estate. As a result, it is labelled as Ireland's first single estate gin. Among botanicals featured in the gin is heather harvested from Black Mountain, part of a girdle of uplands surrounding Belfast.

The recipe for the gin was developed by Mr White from his passion for the beverage and his experience running cocktail bars around the city. Jawbox is now readily available in supermarkets and off-sales in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

The company is also now building sales in Asia and the US.