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Aldi Ireland: Gin and whiskey in retail

Aldi Ireland has several top products in its spirit range: Boyle’s Gin from the Blackwater Distillery and Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery, in addition, Mo Chara Passionfruit & Mango Gin from the Old Carrick Mill.

The Blackwater Distillery has been an Aldi partner since 2016 and developed the private label Boyle’s Gin exclusively for the Irish and British retail market. The product volume of the Blackwater Distillery for Aldi has risen strongly in recent years, whereby 140,800 bottles of the gin series were sold in 2018. The successful gin brand is manufactured in Blackwater Valley, West Waterford, with selected imported ingredients as well as regional apples, blackcurrants and elderflower. CEO Peter Mulryan – former TV producer and author of the book ‘The Whiskeys of Ireland’ – explains, “The partnership with Aldi has helped us to increase turnover enormously, and also to have the security to invest and expand. This includes on-site bottling facilities and a visitor centre.” Ardfallen Whiskey from the West Cork Distillery got its name from the region in County Cork where the malted barley comes from, and is only manufactured in small batches. The business was founded in 2003 by childhood friends who started out with only two small stills they had bought in Switzerland. Now the largest distillery in the country, it currently employs over 80 staff and exports to around 70 countries.

Beim World-Spirits Award 2025 gab es Gold für Ardfallen 10 Year Old Whiskey, Dúchas Irish Whiskey, Silver für Ardfallen Triple Cask Whiskey, Boyle‘s Sloe & Damson Gin, Dolmen Honey Moonshine.

Nannoni Grappe: Top distillates from Tuscany

Master distiller and owner Priscilla Occhipinti has continually improved the company’s international reputation over the years with the same enthusiasm and sensitivity as her mentor, Gioacchino Nannoni. She has been personally responsible for these top-quality products for almost 25 years, and as one of the few women working in this industry, she is responsible for the entire journey of the product from the vineyard to the bottle.

Gioacchino Nannoni came up with the idea for the first ‘Grappa di Fattoria’ in the 1970s. This ‘farm grappa’ has been certified to indicate that it is distilled using its own fresh pomace from the respective grape producers. Since 2011, the company has been producing its own ranges under the brand name ‘Nannoni Grappe’, which is, however, limited to elite markets due to the very limited availability of top-quality pomace. Only fresh materials are used and processed within 48 hours. Distilling takes place just 60 days a year; gin, whisky and amaro are produced in the remaining months. “It’s an incredible amount of work for two months, day and night, but it’s also sort of a game,” says Priscilla, who is not only proud of the numerous awards (more than 165 international gold medals in ten years), but also the many visitors who come from all over the world.

At the World Spirits Award, there was silver for Gingillo Rosa, Gin Capricorno and Grappa d’Oro Riserva, and bronze for L’Estate and Acquavite Bacco per Venere.

Zwack: A family as the guardian of a secret recipe

Unicum is one of the oldest herb liqueurs in Europe and is made from over 40 different herbs and spices. The manufacturing process and the 225-year-old secret recipe have remained unchanged since Unicum was created in 1790, staying in the Zwack family for six generations. Today the production lies in the hands of Sándor and Izabella Zwack. Some special ingredients, known as the ‘heart of Unicum’, are personally measured by other family members – currently by Anne Marshall Zwack and her son Sándor Zwack. Two parallel processes are used for the production of Unicum: in the distillation the delicate herbal fragrances are preserved while other herbs are macerated at the same time to retain their characteristic colour and typical taste. Then they are mixed together and matured in oak barrels where Unicum gains its final complexity in taste and bouquet.

In the year 2020, after almost three years of development, the latest member of the Unicum family was presented. With Unicum Barista, a blend of Unicum and 100% Arabica coffee, Zwack took an innovative approach to the old tradition of consuming a herb liqueur with coffee.

At the World Spirits Award, there was gold for Unicum Barista.