The Shed Distillery was the first distillery to distil in Connaught in 101 years. The year was 2014 and a brand-new gin arrived on the scene. Better known as Gunpowder Gin, there’s almost nobody who hasn’t tried it.

The distillery was set up in the town of Drumshanbo in Co Leitrim by Pat Rigby and his wife Denise. Son Brian and daughters Roisin and Maeve work in the family business today. At the start of this month, they were crowned the International Spirit Brand of the Year at the Wine Enthusiast Wine & Spirit All Star Awards. They were the only Irish company in the shortlist, an incredible achievement. It follows listings for their gin in Claridges in London and The Four Seasons Hotel in New York.

“We need to stay rooted to the ground, to stay humble and hungry and focused on looking after our customers’” said Pat. He and his team are constantly evolving. After a trip to the west coast of the US, Pat came across California Orange Citrus fruit and decided to bring it back home to put together an authentic American edition of Gunpowder Irish Gin, and you are amongst the first to taste the results. It has just launched this month.

In 2020 the team at the Shed released a Sardinian citrus variant of the gin, which followed Sausage Tree Vodka, as well as some whiskey that had been maturing since 2015. We have paired this month’s Gin with Thomas Henry Tonic and Pink Grapefruit. It is a perfectly balanced tonic water that drinks surprisingly well on its own or as part of a gin and tonic. 

Keeping with the Orange theme, Butlers Irish Chocolate have just released their latest flavour edition, a dark chocolate with orange and almond. Perfect for the darker evenings.