In like gin
By partnering with Irish gin producers, retailers can enhance their store’s local reputation while attracting loyal customers with distinctive, top-quality products. Donna Ahern reports
Print19 June 2025
Gin continues to reign as a top-tier spirit, with consumers drawn to its botanical complexity and versatility. From citrusy summer pours to artisanal small-batch infusions, gin offers a premium edge that excites both connoisseurs and casual sippers.
According to Drinks Ireland over the past ten years, Irish gin has evolved from a niche product into a vital segment of the national drinks industry, increasing its share of the spirits market in Ireland from 5% to an impressive 13%. From a modest beginning with only a handful of distilleries, Ireland now boasts nearly 50 world-class gin distilleries spread across its 32 counties. This sustained growth has solidified Irish gin’s reputation as a global leader in quality and authenticity.
A hallmark of Irish gin is its unique production process that values provenance. Irish distillers use locally foraged botanicals, giving each gin a distinctive ‘sense of place’ that reflects its origin. This authenticity not only supports local economies but also employs dozens of people in both rural and urban communities.
David Boyd Armstrong of Rademon Estate Distillery and chair of Drinks Ireland | Spirits, stated: “The gin industry in Ireland has flourished in the last ten years. Through the hard work of the producers and the premium quality of Irish gin, its reputation has grown worldwide.
Now is the time for retailers to support the growing demand for premium, locally crafted spirits by stocking a diverse range of Irish gins that reflect the rich heritage and innovation of our homegrown producers.
Partnering with Irish gin brands not only boosts your local credibility but also drives customer loyalty through unique, high-quality offerings
Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin perfectly serves a year in every bottle
Glendalough Wild Rose Irish Gin
Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough Distillery stands proudly among global industry giants, with hands-on production, seasonal foraging, and thoughtful distillation that can truly stand apart on the world stage. It was recently named ‘Distillery of the Year’ for the fourth consecutive year at the New York International Spirits Competition in the US.
Each batch of its Wild Botanical Gin takes nearly a year to make, shaped by the rhythm of the Wicklow seasons. Botanicals are hand-foraged by Glendalough’s full time forager, Geraldine Kavanagh, distilled fresh and slowly in small copper pot stills, capturing the wild, natural essence of the landscape in every drop. Glendalough Distillery combines craft, care, and creativity in everything they do including their Wild Botanical Gin which was awarded gold at the recent awards.
The wild native botanicals that Geraldine picks each day are quickly transported to the distillery where they are painstakingly slow-distilled to tease out delicate flavours, in very small batches of less than 250 litres. The cut-points are decided batch by batch, by smell and taste (never timed or automated) as if each batch is the first.
RRP €45 for Wild Botanical and Wild Rose Gin.
Kirker Greer Spirits expands Jawbox range with new Apple & Ginger Gin Liqueur
Kirker Greer Spirits, part of Drinksology Kirker Greer (DKG Group), has expanded its award-winning Jawbox range with the launch of Jawbox Apple & Ginger Gin Liqueur. Inspired by an unusual apple variety grown on the distillery’s country estate just outside of Belfast, this new small-batch gin liqueur is available to on- and off-trade retailers in the UK and Ireland.
“The crisp apple flavour in Jawbox Apple & Ginger combines beautifully with the unique combination of botanicals in our small-batch classic dry gin, while the touch of ginger adds a gentle warmth – creating a standout combination that’s delicious,” says Ali Pickering, chief marketing officer at DKG.
“Our Jawbox distillery sits on a 300-acre country estate dating back to the 16th century, where we grow the grain used in Jawbox,” adds Pickering.
Available to on- and off-trade retailers and wholesalers at an RRP of £25.50, Jawbox Apple & Ginger is targeted at 28-55 year-old urban gin drinkers who are sociable, hard working, and willing to trade up for quality.
Jawbox Apple & Ginger Gin Liqueur joins the brand’s existing award-winning portfolio including Jawbox Small Batch Classic Dry Gin, Jawbox Export Strength Gin, Jawbox Pineapple & Ginger Gin Liqueur and Jawbox Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur.
Minke Irish Gin: A spirit born of land and sea
Clonakilty Distillery’s Minke Irish Gin stands apart in the world of gin – not just in story, but in substance. Distilled from a whey-based spirit rather than the more common grain or potato ethanol bases, it offers a rich, creamy mouthfeel that’s as distinctive as its origin. The whey itself is traceable back to the Scully family dairy farm in Clonakilty, Ireland – a property farmed by the same family for over 350 years and nine generations.
That commitment to provenance continues with the gin’s signature botanical: rock samphire. This coastal plant grows just above tide line along the Atlantic cliffs of Clonakilty and is hand-foraged by the distillery team each season, often by kayak or cliff-scaling. The harvest is done sustainably to ensure the plant regenerates naturally for the following year.
Minke Irish Gin is citrus-forward and vibrant – perfect for a bright G&T – yet refined for sipping neat or mixing into spirit-forward cocktails. Unlike many modern gins, the juniper is kept in balance, allowing lighter botanicals to shine. The inclusion of rock samphire lends a subtle salinity and a whisper of aniseed on the finish, evoking the coastal terroir from which it came.
From orchard to award-winning gin
World Gin Awards Ireland London Dry Winner
2025 Icons of Whisky Ireland Production Team Winner
2025 Icons of Whisky Ireland Distiller Winner
Silks Irish Dry Gin
Silks Irish Dry Gin
Inspired by their family apple orchards, mother and daughter duo, Marie and Sally Anne Cooney set out to create a gin that reflects the environment around them. Using signature botanicals hand-foraged from the orchards, including apple blossom from the trees, elderflower and hawthorn blossom from the hedgerows and honey from seven beehives carefully tended to by Marie and Sally Anne, Silks Gin has a fresh, floral-forward character with a real sense of place.
Steeping the botanicals for a day before distillation ensures that Silks Irish Dry Gin is fresh, bright and balanced. A vapour infusion chamber is used for the more subtle, underlying flavours of our signature Irish orchard botanicals. Silks Irish Dry Gin is distilled in small batches in a custom copper pot still at Boann Distillery by an expert distilling team, who were recently named the top production team and distillery of the year at the Icons of Whisky Awards Ireland. Silks Irish Dry Gin was named Ireland’s best London Dry Gin at the World Gin Awards 2025.
As a sustainable distillery, Boann is an Origin Green Gold Member, and ensures all raw ingredients are 100% natural and 100% local. Find out more about Silks Irish Dry Gin at boanndistillery.ie.
Xin Gin from Ahascragh Distillery, Co. Galway
Xin Gin
Nestled in a tiny Irish village of East County Galway, Ahascragh Distillery was once an early 19th-century mill. Reclaimed and reimagined by Michelle and Gareth McAllister, it is now Ireland’s first zero-emissions distillery and home to the award-winning Clan Colla and UAIS whiskeys, and its much-loved, multi-award-winning Xin Gin.
Since its launch, Xin Gin (43% ABV) has garnered national and international acclaim.
Most recently, it took home gold in both the Classic Gin and Country (Ireland) categories at the 2025 World Gin Awards. These join an impressive list of accolades, including double gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and “Best in Ireland” at The Gin Guide Awards for three consecutive years.
The inspiration for Xin Gin began while the McAllisters were living in Asia, their home for over five years. Michelle was passionate about creating a gin that honoured both their worlds—East and West. The result is a vibrant fusion of flavour wherein traditional juniper and citrus zest is elevated by exotic botanicals such as lemongrass, pineapple and the gin’s signature persimmon, a fruit symbolising good luck and eternal love in Asian culture.
More information: info@ahascraghdistillery.com
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