Lough Ree Distillery scores triple win at World Gin Masters and launches Aiteal
Longford distillery wins three medals at World Gin Masters with three uniquely Irish gins
Print6 July 2020
Lough Ree Distillery in Lanesborough, Co Longford is celebrating a trio of medals at the World Gin Masters, including a Gold Medal for Aiteal, its new gin made with Irish juniper.
Many gin distilleries look to the ends of the earth for their inspiration when developing new products. The team at Lough Ree Distillery take a different approach, however, and have looked to local and Irish flavours for inspiration.
This approach has been rewarded with great recognition at the World Gin Masters, with the ninth international award for Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin and Gold and Silver medals for two new Irish gins. An impressive result considering there were 219 entries in the competition from 105 different companies from across the globe.
The three winners included:
- Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin, launched in October 2018, has quickly become one of the most highly regarded Irish gins, pouring in Ireland’s finest bars and restaurants and for sale in the best independent retailers. Sling Shot is the only spirit that contains a peat distillate, making it uniquely Irish and the very essence of terroir. It won a Gold Medal in the Ultra-Premium class at the World Gin Masters.
- Late last year, Lough Ree Distillery was approached by the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point, Co. Clare to help develop a bespoke gin with Co. Clare botanicals. This was a labour of love as the founder’s late father hailed from West Clare. Working with the Armada Hotel and Farm teams, foragers Thalli Foods, and Moy Hill Farm, the new Mist + Moss Irish Gin was developed including Irish juniper and a selection of other botanicals sustainably foraged in Clare. In its first competition outing, Mist + Moss Irish Gin brings a Silver medal (via Longford) to Co. Clare.
- All gins must have juniper but sometimes it takes a back seat while other botanicals shine. Not so with Aiteal Irish Gin. There are very few juniper-only gins, but the Lough Ree Distillery team felt this Irish juniper had such interesting and complex flavours that it was worthy of making a gin in its own right, without the need for additional botanicals. As the gin is distilled with Irish whey spirit, Aiteal is the only 100% Irish gin, and it launches on the market with the imprimatur of a World Gin Masters Gold Medal.
Michael Clancy, co-founder, Lough Ree Distillery said of the trio of accolades: “We’re delighted to score so highly in this prestigious International competition with not one, but three products, all of which are uniquely Irish.
“As a small, family-owned Irish distillery,” he added, “we aspire to produce spirits that can compete with the best in the world and these awards are great validation for the quality of the ingredients we get from our Irish suppliers and the work that our team does to turn them into fine Irish spirits.”
Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin is widely available, Mist + Moss Irish Gin is available from The Armada Hotel (www.armadahotel.com) and Aiteal Irish Gin is available from www.lrd.ie and The Celtic Whiskey Shop.
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