Cappoquin-based Blackwater Distillery has won four major awards at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London. The Cappoquin company’s flagship Blackwater No. 5 Gin won Silver Outstanding in the Gin & Tonic category and Silver for Best Gin.
There was more good news for their recently released Blackwater Juniper Cask Gin, landing a Silver Outstanding award. This is the gin’s second trophy, as earlier in July it won Gold at the Global Spirits Master.
Commenting on this year’s awards, distiller Peter Mulryan of Blackwater Distillery said: “This is a great result for us; the IWSC is one of the world’s most prestigious competitions while the Global Spirits Masters pitted us against the best in the world; for us to take home so many awards is incredible.”
The company’s fourth award at the IWSC was Bronze for packaging. All of Blackwater Distillery’s branding and packaging is designed and produced in County Waterford.
“This really is a great win for the county and shows just how much talent there is in Waterford,” said Mr Mulryan. Blackwater Distillery’s labels are printed by EC Labels, while the design work is carried out by Passion for Creative.
Jill Hinks, Creative Director at Passion for Creative, said they are delighted with the news.
“This is teamwork at its best. Creating a head-turning brand is very satisfying and doing so in Waterford is even better,” she said.
This week, Blackwater No. 5 Gin was also been shortlisted for Best Spirit at the 2016 Irish Quality Food Award. Blackwater Distillery is based in Cappoquin and is the only distillery producing gin in the county. It is currently raising capital for expansion via the Government’s Business Expansion Scheme.
