Old Bushmills is a double Master of Irish Whiskey

Northern Ireland's Old Bushmills has been awarded two Masters and two gold medals in the prestigious Irish Whiskey Masters.

The challenge, run by the influential Spirits Business magazine, saw Old Bushmills, based at Bushmills in county Antrim, named in the Master categories - Single Malt Super Premium for its 21 year old Single Malt Irish Whiskey and in the Single Malt Ultra-Premium category for its recently launched Bushmills Irish Honey.

The company, Northern Ireland's oldest whiskey distiller and reckoned to be the world's first licensed distillery, awarded gold medals in Blended Premium for Bushmills Irish Whiskey and in the Single Malt Premium category for its 16 year old single malt.

Old Bushmills, now owned by Diageo, is booming as the Irish Whiskey sector expands in terms of global sales.

Sales of Irish whiskey are projected to double by 2020.

The judging panel regarded Bushmills Irish Honey as being extraordinary

A Master was awarded to Bushmill's Irish Honey, whose "nose was absent of any residual sugar, rather a full aroma of a slightly sweet, blended whiskey. The palate however displayed more sweetness with a subtle hint of honey, although the flavour of the whiskey was still very much apparent". The judges described this as a "non-whiskey drinker's whiskey".

But as the Irish whiskey category expands over the next couple of years, more flavours and styles are sure to emerge to offer consumers greater choice. One new Northern Irish distillery is already in production. Echlinville Distillery at Kircubbin in county Down has recently revived the historic Dunville VR brand in Britain and is planning to revive another from the old Dunville stable - Three Crowns.

Dunville brands were produced by the Royal Irish Distillery in Belfast, one the world's biggest Irish whiskey producer, until its closure in the wake of prohibition in the US.

Echlinville also produces the Feckin Irish whiskey brands and is planning several new launches, including premium malt, in the next five years. As well as Echlinville, new Irish whiskey launched are planned by the Belfast Distillery Company in a wing of the old Crumlin Road gaol and by Niche Drinks in Londonderry, currently a specialist in Irish Cream Liquers including Saint Brendan's.

Belfast Distillery Company markets Danny Boy and Titanic blended whiskies. These are made for the distillery by the Cooley Distillery in the Republic of Ireland.