Graham Norton’s Own Irish Gin celebrates Graham’s West Cork Heritage, the beauty and flavours of his idyllic native county and his award-winning flair for blending perfection
Arguably Ireland’s favourite West Cork native, Graham Norton has joined forces with Irelands leading independent wine and spirit company Barry & Fitzwilliam to launch his very own gin, Graham Norton’s Own Irish Gin, which will be available exclusively in SuperValu stores nationwide from early February.
Following on from the success of Graham’s award-winning GN Wine range which includes Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Rosé and Prosecco, the renowned TV presenter has launched his own Irish gin which celebrates the beauty and unique flavours of West Cork.
Speaking on where the idea for an Irish gin was born, Tim Lightbourne, of Invivo (Graham Norton wine collaborators) said ‘“It all started in London in July last year, we were working with Graham on this year’s wine blends. At the end of a three-hour tasting and blending session, someone suggested we celebrate with a round of martinis. It was over the martinis that Graham introduced the idea of an Irish gin and a plan was born to create one.”
Partnering with an Irish distillery was very important, and Graham decided to work with his West Cork neighbours – West Cork Distillers to create the great tasting gin. Distilled and produced using 100% Irish grain Graham Norton’s Own Irish Gin draws its flavour from a combination of 12 botanicals including lemon peel, orange peel, elderflower, rose hip, and fuchsia flowers all of which contribute to a Gin which is as unique as the man himself!
Graham had so much fun working on the wines – blending each of them he thought why stop there? Gin is one of his favourite tipples, so he really wanted to put his own Norton-esque twist on one. Graham wanted something that spoke of the splendour and beauty of West Cork its countryside and its unique botanicals. The bottle shape and design have great stand out and the gin speaks for itself!
John Cooney, Off-Licence Trading Manager for SuperValu said ‘We’re still seeing a huge demand for gins and gin sales are constantly on the rise so to have one on our shelves, produced by Graham Norton himself is something we’re incredibly excited about. The Gin market is experiencing strong growth in the take home gin category with a 44.5% increase in sales over the last year and we believe that Graham Norton’s new gin will certainly add to those figures. . The gin itself is best served simply with Indian Tonic Water, ice and fresh lime to garnish. This ensure the consumer tastes the real essence of this very fine blend”
Commenting on the distribution deal Michael Barry, Managing Director of Barry & Fitzwilliam said, ‘I am absolutely delighted to be teaming up with The Graham Norton wine and gin brands which will further add to our comprehensive premium range of wines and spirits. Look out for it in a pub near you very soon!’
Graham Norton’s Own Gin will be available exclusively from SuperValu stores from early February.
Serving Suggestion: Enjoy with Indian Tonic Water, lashings of ice and fresh lime to garnish.
