GINS

Ballyvolane House, Castlelyons, Co. Cork is home to Justin Green, where along with friend Antony Jackson they produce Bertha's Revenge Irish Milk Gin. Ballyvolane translates to Leaping Heifer. When the head distiller of Thames distillery floated the idea of using whey for the base alcohol for an Irish gin the brand started to come together. A local cream liquer manufacturer provided the whey base alcohol. Bertha, a record breaking 49 year old cow from Sneem in Co. Kerry, who produced 39 calves, brought the brand together.

Founders: Justin Green and Antony Jackson

Style: London gin

ABV: 42%

Botanicals: juniper, coriander, bitter orange, grapefruit, sweet orange, lemon, lime, liquorice, orris, angelica, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, cumin, almond, elderflower, alexanders, sweet woodruff

Julie and Rod Calder-Potts are 5th generation owners of their family farm in Kilkenny. Back in 1963 they grew hops on the farm, but converted to apple orchards in 1969. In the 1990s they went organic and currently produce apple syrup, cider, brandy and gin. They use their apple eau de vie as the base alcohol in the creation of their gin.

Founders: Julie and Rod Calder-Potts

Style: London Gin

ABV: 40%

Botanicals: juniper, coriander seed and leaf, turmeric, star anise, peppermint, cinnamon, lavendar, blackcurrant buds, rosehips, ginger, lemon peel, orange peel, rosemary

Eoin Barra, the grandson of a whiskey distiller from Tullamore Dew, is the creator of Mór Irish Gin. Eoin left a career in IT to follow his dreams of distilling his own gin. He travelled to South Africa (where his equipment was sourced), Germany, Canada and Scotland to learn the art of distilling gin, before setting up his Arderrin distillery in Tullamore.

Founder: Eoin Barra

Style: Distilled gin or New World gin

ABV: 40%

Botanicals: Secret receipe includes - juniper, angelica, coriander, rosemary, blackberry, raspberry, cranberry

Preferred serve: Tonic and a squeeze of lime

The Boatyard distillery was founded in 2016 by Joe McGirr. Joe has previously worked for Glenmorangie, Moet Hennessy and the London Distilling Company. His distillery is located by a marina, in a boatyard off the shore of Lough Erne in Fermanagh. Joe uses only organic ingredients with the base alcohol coming from distilled organic wheat. To make his gin, Joe uses an 18 hour steep and boil method, but also gives the recondensed spirit a second kiss of juniper through a filtration process derived from the Dutch. The gin is left to settle for two weeks before bottling.

Founder: Joe McGirr

Style: London gin

ABV: 46%

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, liquorice root, angelica, orris, fresh lemon peel, grains of paradise, sweet gale

Bonac Spirits was founded by the father and son partnership of Michael and Gavin Clifford in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow. Having left college in Ireland, Gavin travelled to the Hamptons in the US where he worked in the bar and restaurant trade. On his return, he set out to create his unique brand of Irish gin. The branding of his first gin, released in 2017, comes from the Hamptons, aka Bonac, and the fact that the final receipe Gavin was happy with was receipe number 24.

Founders: Michael and Gavin Clifford

Style: Distilled gin

ABV: 42%

Botanicals: Juniper, angelica root, cassia, coriander, star anise, cardamon, cucumber, spearmint, pear, lemon, bergamot, curacao

Preferred serve: Tonic water and garnished with mint and lime

Since acquiring their stills in 2013, a group of founding friends have been producing poitín, whiskey and gin at the Glendalough distillery in Co. Wicklow. They create seasonal gins from freshly foraged botancials in the Wicklow mountains with the help of local botanist Geraldine Kavanagh. This is their Winter release.

Founders: Barry Gallagher, Brian Fagan, Kevin Keenan, Gary McLoughlin

Style: London gin

ABV: 42%

Botanicals: juniper, coriander seeds, fresh lemon peel, angelica root, liquorice root, orris root, ceylon cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, bog-myrtle, rosemary, cloves, fennell seeds, orange peel, oranges, cassia bark, and a selection of freshly foraged botancials from alexander seeds, hawthorn berries, sloes, ivy, sage, rowan berries, rosehips, blackberries, elderberries, yarrow, angelica flowers, apples, meadowsweet, douglas fir, water-mint, sorrel

Listoke House in Co. Louth is home to Raymond and Juliet Gogan. Juliet is a descendent of the Stein/Haig/Jameson family dynasties. In 1777 Listoke House first appeared on a map. It was also the recorded year that the first spirit crossed over the Scottish border destined for the London gin market. Listoke is home to Ireland's first gin school. The owl, depicted in the bottle with wings of botanicals is a nod to the two resident barn owls at Listoke, affectionately known as Gin and Tonic.

Founders: Raymond and Juliet Gogan, Bronagh Conlon, Blanaid O'Hare, James McKenna

Style: London gin

ABV: 43.3%

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, angelica, orris, cassia, jasmine, rowan berries, cardamon, sweet orange peel

Preferred Serve: A peel of orange, couple of juniper berries and tonic

Shortcross gin was created at Rademon Estate distilery on the family farm of Fiona and David Boyd-Armstrong in Co. Down and takes its name, rather subtly, from the nearby village of Crossgar (Chríos Ghearr - short cross). The company was incorporated in 2012, with their still being fired up in 2013. Their gin recipe development completed in March of 2014 and use a wheat base spirit to create their gin. They have also laid down some single malt spirit that matures into whiskey in August of 2018.

Founders: Fiona and David Boyd-Armstrong

Style: Distilled gin

ABV: 46%

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, angelica, wild clover, elderflowers, elderberries, apples, orange peel, lemon peel, cassia

Preferred Serve: A peel of orange with premium tonic water

Blacks Irish gin is created in Kinsale, Co. Cork. Sam Black started out with a present from his wife, Maudeline, of a home brewers kit. That evolved into setting up a brewery, from which the Blacks have brought a succession of craft beers to the market. Not satisfied to focus exclusively on the beer, they installed a still and became the first brewery/distillery in Ireland. After Sam's first four attempts to establish a gin receipe, the hoppy influence in the flavour, coming from his brewing experience, was enough for Maud to step in, and receipe number 17 nailed it for them. Along with their beer and gin they also produce poitín, moonshine (US market) and the first Irish rum.

Founders: Maudeline and Sam Black

Style: Distilled gin

ABV: 42%

Botanicals: 13 including juniper, coriander seeds, liquorice, orris root, angelica root, citrus peels, heather flowers

Preferred Serve: one part Blacks Irish gin, three parts premium tonic water, and garnish with a wedge of pink grapefruit

Ballykeefe distillery was founded by Morgan Ging on his family farm near Kilkenny. Morgan's master distiller is the infamous Jamie Baggott from Headfortshire in England. Jamie knows a good potato spirit, which he uses as the base for Ballykeefe's vodka and gin products. While working for the founders of Tyrell potato crisps at Chase distillery in England, his vodka was awarded best in the world 2010. Jamie combines 5 botanicals to achieve his extra dry effect, making it a refreshing taste, but irresistible to go back for another sip as the pallet dries out.

Founders: Morgan Ging

Style: London gin

ABV: 40%

Botanicals: 12 including juniper, cubeb peppers, elderflower, pink grapefruit, cassia

Preferred Serve: Fill a Copa de Balon glass with plenty of ice, a slice of lime and ginger, give a good stir and top to taste with a quality tonic water.

Conncullin Irish gin is produced by the Connacht Whiskey Company in Ballina, Co. Mayo. The recipe was created by master distiller Rob Cassell and is produced, along with the spirit being laid down for whiskey maturation, by distillery manager John Parks. The gin takes its name from the two ajoining lakes of Lough Conn and Lough Cullin.

Founders: David Stapleton, PJ Stapleton, Rob Cassell, Tom Jensen

Style: London gin

ABV: 47%

Botanicals: Juniper, hawthorn, elderberry

Siblings John Power and Eileen Brennan founded their distillery on the Beara Penninsula in West Cork in 2017. The distillery has a Muller still from Germany and a Dutch I-Still. Their base spirit is whey spirit from Carbery in West Cork which is also the base spirit used to make Bertha's Revenge. John is a commercial fisherman by trade and he and his sister wanted to created a gin that reflected their love of the sea. One of the botanicals used in making Beara Ocean Gin is sugar kelp which is harvested at low tide. This, coupled with an infusion of atlantic salt water, gives the gin a subtle briney taste of the ocean. In 2018, it won a silver medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition and gold medal at the Spirit Business Awards.

Founders: John Power, Eileen Brennan

Style: Distilled gin

ABV: 43.3%

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica root, orris root, lemon, lime, orange, pink grapefruit, sugar kelp, and fuschia.

Preferred Serve: Premium tonic water with a wedge of pink grapefruit

John Stafford comes from a long line of farmers - he and his forebears have been farming in Wexford for 300 years. His aim was to create a gin that would capture the rich earthy tones of Wexford soil. John grows circa 400 acres of potatoes annually and transports some of his produce to West Cork Distillers where it is distilled into the base spirit for Jackford Irish Potato Gin - which is named after his son, Jack. He has plans to build his own distillery in Enniscorthy in the future but in the meantime he has outsourced production to West Cork Distillers. His gin won Best Irish Gin at the Irish Whiskey Awards in 2018.

Founders: John Stafford

Style: Distilled gin

ABV: 41%

Botanicals: Juniper, liquorice root, angelica, almond, black peppercorns, orris root, cassia bark, basil, gooseberry, strawberry, bitter orange, coriander, rosemary

Preferred Serve: 50ml Jackford Irish Potato Gin over ice, top up with premium tonic, garnish with lemon slices and basil

Ha'penny Dublin Dry Gin is a small batch pot-distilled gin featuring 13 expertly selected botanicals offering a unique flavour and taste inspired by Dublin. It is named after the iconic Ha’penny Bridge, a pedestrian toll-bridge built in May, 1816 over the River Liffey. The toll cost a ha'penny, hence the name. The gin features Geranium, Dandelion, Lavender and Blackberry, all botanicals which would have been growing in the nearby Phoenix Park when the bridge was built. The gin was created by a special team of gin enthusiasts in the Pearse Lyons distillery on James' Street in the Liberties in Dublin and is produced by West Cork Distillers.

Founders: Pearse Lyons

Style: London gin

ABV: 41%

Botanicals: Juniper, blackberries, dandelion flowers, lavender, geranium, orange peel, lemon peel, cracked black pepper, anise, angelica root, liquorice bark, coriander, cassia

Preferred Serve: Tonic with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint

Micil (pronounced Mick-il) Irish Gin is distilled by Pádraic Ó Griallais, a 6th generation poitín distiller from Connemara. His great-great-great grandfather, Micil Mac Chearra, began distilling on the shores of Galway Bay in 1848. Pádraic founded his own distillery in 2014 to make poitín and has since progresed to making gin. His micro-distillery, located in Salthill, is named in Micil's honour. He says that his gin is made using hand-picked local botanicals and infused with the bogs, hedgerows, and seashore of Connemara, i.e. it's a West-of-Ireland intepretation of contemporary dry gin.

Founders: Pádraic Ó Griallais

Style: London gin

ABV: 44%

Botanicals: Juniper, heather, bog-myrtle, hawberry, bogbean, rhubarb, sweet liquorice

Preferred Serve: Premium tonic with a wedge of lime