Boatyard raises a glass to New York deal
Boatyard entrepreneur Joe McGirr and his team have been celebrating the dispatch of a container to New York filled with their double distilled gin.
In addition to its gin range, Boatyard has developed a premium vodka and is currently maturing a single malt Irish whiskey.
The boost for gin distilling here from the US follows the launch of an exciting strategy by Drinks Ireland, the body representing many producers in across the island of Ireland.
Michael, who joined Boatyard after five years running bars at the prestigious NoMad Hotel in London’s Covent Garden said: “I was excited about the challenge of launching a new gin brand (an extremely competitive category) in New York, a fiercely competitive marketplace.
‘Landmark for us in US’
“Our US launch in May of 2021 has been followed by amazing support from across the hospitality industry. Our Boatyard Double Gin can now be found on cocktail menus and back bars throughout New York including the famed Dead Rabbit and the legendary Dante, which have been named among ‘The World’s Best Bars’ in the past.”
Dante, a landmark in New York’s renowned Greenwich Village, has been mixing cocktails since 1915 and was named at the top of the world’s best bars in 2019.
The multi-award winning Dead Rabbit, of course, is owned by Belfast-born duo Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry who opened it in 2012. Named the ‘Best Pub in the World’ in 2016, the Dead Rabbit is located in Manhattan and has influenced a host of premium hostelries across New York.
Speaking of the distillery’s latest news, Joe McGirr said: “This is a landmark for us in the US which shows the value of appointing our own marketing expert there to work alongside Empire Merchants, our distributors. As a business, we certainly don’t have limitless resources, but securing the services of Michael has allowed us to ensure that the essential Boatyard service commitment has crossed the Atlantic.”
