Is 'mother's ruin' now a goldmine? How Irish distillers are cashing in on the gin craze

A NEW GROUP of Irish distillers is looking to take advantage of the ever-growing market for gin, a drink which has undergone a spectacular revival in recent years.

In Ireland, pub sales of gin have increased by almost 32% over the past year and a host of new Irish gin brands are grappling to be part of the action.

The sector has developed so strongly that the Irish Spirits Association has set up a separate group to help promote the drink and maintain standards among distillers.

The group features gin producers from each province of Ireland. Its number-one priority is to support the creation of a legally recognised standard for Irish gin, similar to the regulations that apply to Irish whiskey.

“People like ourselves want to protect the provenance and authenticity of our brand and ensure that the quality is reflected in other brands,” according to Pat Rigney, the managing director of the The Shed Distillery in Leitrim.

His distillery has been in operation since 2014 and last year started producing gin after an initial focus on single malt whiskey.

In its operation, a medieval copper pot is used to distill the liquid before it’s blended with oriental botanicals, gunpowder tea and local ingredients to create the flavour.

The Gunpowder Irish Gin brand is now sold in 12 countries and Rigney is targeting more, but he also wants to develop the wider Irish gin producing sector.

Rigney was elected chair of the new gin group and he said its aim is to replicate the role of the Irish Whiskey Association for his sector.

“We do everything in a very interesting and special way and we want to make sure that other entrants into the market and the other people on the group have the same objective; I want to make sure that if other people come in that they also ensure that they’re supporting that effort,” he said.

The gin is distilled in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim

Signs of the revival of gin from its previous reputation as “mother’s ruin” can be traced back about a decade when a number of UK distilleries began to focus on the drink.

Since then, the market has grown substantially, with the UK sector alone estimated to be worth €480 million in 2015. Continental Europe has also experience similar growth.

In Ireland, bar sales of gin are worth about €74 million, but this figure has been increasing significantly year-on-year.

“There’s more growth in it, over the next number of years,” Rigney said.

“How much is hard to tell, but certainly there is more growth. It certainly could get towards maybe half the size of the vodka market, or half the size of the Irish whiskey market, so there’s a bit to go.”

Written by Rónán Duffy and posted on TheJournal.ie