Bethlehem wins inaugural Golden Goat award

We were thrilled to win the inaugural Golden Goat award as Skerries Whiskey Chasers Whiskey of the Year for 2022.

Here’s what Gary Quinn, founder of Skerries Whiskey Chasers had to say :

“Skerries Whiskey Chasers tasted 51 whiskies in 2022 – all the greats of Irish whiskey and a few Americans – before selecting Lough Ree’s The Bridge Bethlehem as our favourite of the year. We’re a group of whiskey fans on a massive learning curve and we were delighted that after a year of tasting in our HQ, the Snug Bar in Skerries, we picked a superbly-finished single cask grain whiskey as the champion.

We tasted it again in the final in December against four other finalists, Heaven’s Door Straight Rye, Method & Madness Single Malt, Writer’s Tears Japanese Cask Finish and Dingle Batch 6. It was a terrific tasting but Lough Ree powered through. The PX sherry butt that it was finished in delivered a really complex and elegant flavour profile and an incredible colour, nose and finish that pushed it over the line.

The SWC Whiskey of the Year award, the Golden Goat, will be a perpetual trophy, building a line-up of champions that we believe will stand the test of time. We also want it to be a symbol of recognition of thanks from real whiskey drinkers.

We chose a golden goat as our symbol, an animal forever tied to our north Co Dublin town. Allegedly, St Patrick left his own goat in the town when he ventured to the Skerries islands. When he returned, the people of Skerries had gone to the trouble of eating his goat. In retribution, he changed their voices to that of the bleating of this hardy animal.

Each year we’ll choose one whiskey as our favourite and send the Golden Goat to that distillery. Then at the end of the year we’ll head out to bring the goat home to Skerries and do it all again. Mike Clancy of Lough Ree came to Skerries to bring the award back to Longford for the year. It was a terrific occasion, bringing us deep into the DNA of this young and ambitious family business. The tasting revealed the breadth of the distillery’s sourced bottlings as well as giving us a glimpse of what’s ahead for Lough Ree as they pour their own distillate into cask. A worthy first winner of the Skerries Whiskey Chasers Whiskey of the Year Award.

Gary Quinn, Founder, Skerries Whiskey Chasers,

Skerries, Co Dublin 21st February 2023.”

Another Gold for Zesty

Delighted with the news that our Citrus Vodka, Zesty, has won another Gold medal, this time at the The Spirits Business Spring Blind Tasting.
As we expand into new international markets, it’s a great boost to get recognition like this from the tasting experts in the industry.
Sláinte.

New Whiskey Release

It’s finally here! The St Mel’s No. 1 Cask release under The Bridge Series of Whiskies is now on general sale.
We’ve had great fun working on this in collaboration with Eoin and Liam in St. Mel’s Independent Brewing Company. Something tells us that this will be the first of many collaborations.
Secure yours now – https://www.lrd.ie/product/the-bridge-whiskey-st-mels-no-1-release-2/

In The Media

We’ve had a great reaction to media coverage in the last few weeks in The Farmers Journal, Longford Leader and Irish Whiskey Magazine – our thanks to those involved.

The Story of Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin

Our The story of Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin, made in Lanesborough, Co Longford, and how it got its name. Our locality is surrounded by ancient peat bogs and inspired by that, our Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin is the only spirit that uses Peat as a botanical. This makes it the very essence of terroir. We also use Irish Mint and Organic Citrus along with classic gin botanicals to produce a gin with amazing earthiness and complexity. Sling Shot has a wonderful mouthfeel so it’s a great gin for cocktails or to serve with a premium tonic. Since we launched Sling Shot less than 2 years ago, it has won 10 awards including four golds at international tasting competitions, making it one of the most awarded Irish Gins. Sling Shot pours in Ireland’s finest bars and restaurants, where it is highly regarded for its quality, provenance and the complexity it brings to cocktails.

 

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Cocktail Recipes – Gin

Looking for some gin inspiration??

These 12 simple, yet classic serves are easy to make at home and perfect for an evening sip over the weekend!

We hope you enjoy making some of our gin cocktails, be sure to tag  @LoughReeDistill and #SlingShotGin on social media!

If you are wondering where to purchase a bottle of Sling Shot Gin please see our list of Stockists here or to buy online click here .

  1. Classic Negroni with a twist
  • Double Measure of Sling Shot Gin
  • 20ml Campari
  • 20ml Martini
  • 1tsp Orange & Ginger jam

2. Sling Shot G&T ft Poachers Tonic Water

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • Poachers Classic Tonic Water
  • 2 Slices of Pink Grapefruit & Sprig of Rosemary to garnish

3. Garden Cocktail 

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 25ml Elderflower Cordial
  • 75ml Apple Juice
  • 10ml Lime Juice
  • Cucumber Ribbon to garnish

 

4. Hot Gin

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 1tsp Honey
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick to garnish

Pop all ingredients into a glass, top with boiling water, stir & enjoy!

 

5. Tom Collins

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 25ml Simple Syrup
  • 25ml Lemon Juice
  • Soda Water

6. White Lady 

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 20ml Triple Sec
  • 5ml Simple Syrup
  • 1 Egg White
  • 25ml Lemon Juice

 

7. Hanky Panky 

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 50ml Sweet Vermouth
  • 2 dashes Fernet Branca
  • Orange twist to garnish

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Sling Shot G&T ft Thomas Henry Tonic Water

  • 50 ml Sling Shot Gin
  • Thomas Henry Tonic Water
  • 2 Slices of Orange 

 

 

 

 

9. Sling Shot Martini Lemon Swirl to garnish

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 25ml Martini
  • Squeeze of 1/2 Lemon
  • Lemon Swirl to garnish

 

 

 

 

 

10 . Cranberry Delight 

  • 35ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 50ml Cranberry Juice
  • Top with Soda Water
  • 2 Slices of Orange to garnish

 

11. Sling Shot Gin Fizz

  • 35ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 15ml Elderflower Cordial
  • Top with Prosecco
  • Raspberries to garnish

 

 

 

 

12. Candy Cane Cocktail

  • 50ml Sling Shot Gin
  • 30ml Lime Juice
  • 25ml Simple Syrup
  • 1 Egg White
  • Crushed Candy Cane
Lough Ree Gin & Botanicals

Winner Alright- Gold For Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin

We had quite the exciting week at Lough Ree Distillery as we received an award for our beautiful Sling Shot Gin. This reward has really lifted our spirits here in LRD HQ, it is great to see recognition for all our hard work. A special mention has to go to Claire, our distiller, who brings our product to life every single day. The entire team are over the moon with thanks to this great news. From talks at the dinner table over 2 years ago to an award winning gin, the journey of creating the finest, most highly regarded spirits is truly under way for Peter, Mike & Sheila.

 

12th March 2019

Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin wins Great Gold at Catavinum World Wines and Spirits Competition

Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin from Lough Ree Distillery has been awarded a Great Gold Medal in the Spirits Category of the Catavinum World Wines and Spirits Competition in Spain. Sling Shot was the only gin to be awarded Great Gold (95-100 points) in this International Competition with entries from across Europe.

This new Irish Gin is made by producing 4 separate high quality distillates which are then blended together to make the final Sling Shot Gin. Seven classic gin botanicals are used in the base recipe- Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Orris Root, along with Lemon Balm, Cardamom and Celery Seed. This is blended with a specially prepared and distilled Citrus distillate from fresh organic, Oranges, Pink Grapefruit, Lemons and Limes; a fresh Mint distillate and finally a distillate of local Peat. Lough Ree Distillery are the first in the world to distil peat as a botanical and it provides great depth and complexity to the gin.

Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin was launched in Ireland in October and has since been getting great feedback from trade and consumers, with listings in many of Ireland’s premium bars and restaurants. Lough Ree Distillery have commenced exporting to Germany and will shortly be available in several other International markets.

Commenting, Peter Clancy, CEO & Founder of Lough Ree Distillery, said:
“We are delighted with this award- it gives great external validation of the quality of our spirit and it is recognition for all the hard work that has in gone in to developing and producing Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin. We have a small but committed team and I have no doubt that this award is the first of many for our spirits.”

About Lough Ree Distillery:
Lough Ree Distillery is a new, family owned distillery, based on the shores of Lough Ree in the centre of Ireland. Quality is hugely important to the company so everything that goes into Sling Shot is distilled, blended and bottled in Lough Ree’s  microdistillery in Lanesborough. Lough Ree Distillery’s main Irish Whiskey Distillery site is under construction with plans to open later this year.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Peter Clancy: peter.clancy@lrd.ie +353 87 9040238(M) +353 43 3321542
www.loughreedistillery.com


Lough Ree Gin & Botanicals

 

 

2018 – What a year!!

2018 has been a most exciting year at Lough Ree Distillery HQ. From distilling our first spirit in our micro distillery, to launching  Sling Shot Irish Gin, proudly distilled and bottled in our hometown of Lanesborough on the shores of the mighty river Shannon.

We have had a fantastic year and 2019 will see us continue building not only an exciting, authentic and quality Irish brand that produces world class product but also developing our very own state of the art distillery in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us from Lanesborough and beyond, we look forward to an exciting year ahead!

 

Lough Ree Distillery at Whiskey Live Dublin 2018

If you love Whiskey and are looking for a unique Tasting opportunity, Whiskey Live is for you.Claire with Sling Shot Gin at Whiskey Live

The team at the Celtic Whiskey Shop organised a wonderful event at Printworks, Dublin Castle over the weekend. There was such a great selection of not only Irish, Scottish and American Whiskey, but quality Irish gin too.

Of course, the team here at Lough Ree were at the sold out event. We offered Sling Shot Gin Tastings over the weekend and discussed our future Whiskey production in Lanesborough, hitting off in 2019!

The response to our gin, as always, was brilliant. Claire, our distiller, was chuffed at the reception the gin received from her industry peers.

The entire LRD Team featured over the weekend, it was a brilliant opportunity to showcase Sling Shot further afield!

Whiskey Live is a must for not only the whiskey lover, but the gin lover too! However, for the absolute gin enthusiast, we will be at The Gin Experience in April 2019 at Printworks, Dublin Castle.

Tickets available at https://www.whiskeylivedublin.com/tickets.htmlSling Shot Gin Tasting - Mullingar

As well as Whiskey Live, we also had a tasting in O’Briens Centra, Mullingar. Sheila was beaming with pride as Sling Shot was welcomed with open arms in her adopted hometown!

It too was a great success and the continued support in the locality is much appreciated, Sling Shot Gin is found in dozens of bars across the town!

You can check our list of Stockists on our website www.lrd.ie/stockists/

We have great coverage not only in the Midlands, but Dublin, Galway and Cork too.

As always, thanks for checking in with us at Lough Ree and we hope you all #ShoutForSlingShot this festive season!

Please send any queries to info@lrd.ie