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Tourism NI to celebrate region's world-class distilleries during October

22nd September 2025

Tourism NI 'Embrace a Giant Taste of October'

Tourism Northern Ireland has launched a month-long celebration of food and drink in a bid to “shine a spotlight” on the region’s world-class distilleries.

The 'Embrace a Giant Taste of October' campaign will showcase Northern Ireland’s distillery-led experiences, celebrate local food and drink producers, and highlight collaborative chef partnerships through a series of events and immersive experiences.

From seasonal supper clubs to distillery after dark experiences with food pairings, visitors will be able to explore a vast array of food and drink events.

As part of the campaign, which is being supported by Tourism NI in partnership with Food NI, twelve distilleries which are members of Tourism Northern Ireland’s NI Spirits Trail and Distillery Passport, will each host an event in collaboration with chefs and local food producers.

The initiative aims to showcase the distinctiveness of Northern Ireland’s world-class, spirit-led experiences by delivering innovative, newly crafted offerings that inspire visitors to travel, book, and enjoy all that the region’s distilleries have to offer.

These experiences provide engaging new reasons to visit in October, helping to extend the season, encourage midweek and off-peak travel, and support regional economies and the operational continuity of rural businesses.

The campaign will also play a key role in further positioning Northern Ireland as the `Home of Halloween’, as it will provide further storytelling opportunities.

The distilleries taking part in `Embrace A Giant Taste of October’ include Belfast-based Titanic Distillers and McConnell’s Distillery, as well as Copeland Distillery, Rademon Estate Distillery, Hinch Distillery, Killowen Distillery and Echlinville Distillery, all in Co Down.

Also taking part is Old Bushmills Distillery in Co Antrim, The Boatyard Distillery in Co Fermanagh, Wild Atlantic Distillery and Woodlab Distillery, both in Co Tyrone, and the Walled City Brewery in Derry.

Gary Quate, Food and Drink Tourism Manager at Tourism NI, said: “Embrace A Giant Taste of October celebrates the collaborative spirit of Northern Ireland’s distilleries while showcasing unique experiences developed with chefs, producers, and food and drink businesses.

“This programme is the result of our sustained partnership with the Distillery Network, supporting businesses through recent experience development programmes and one-to-one mentoring to bring new experiences to market.

“It’s hugely encouraging to see so many innovative experiences created as part of this campaign. We hope this partnership leaves a lasting legacy of collaboration and innovation across the food and drink sector.”

Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with Tourism NI on 'Embrace A Giant Taste of October’.

“By nominating October as Distillery Month, we’ve been able to support these businesses in developing and delivering unique experiences.

“We look forward to encouraging consumers to explore and support these critically important local businesses as part of this exciting month-long celebration.”

'Embrace A Giant Taste of October’ events can be booked online at Embrace a Giant Taste of October | NI Food & Drink Events October

We're delighted to have a number of mouth-watering experiences right here in Ards and North Down featured.

Local award-winning producers are featured. A visit to local distilleries Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee and Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin are both opportunities to learn how award-winning spirits are crafted. Several experiences included in the campaign also feature Newtownards based Mike's Fancy Cheese with events lines up to celebrate local cheeses and beer brewed right beside his production facility - It doesn't get more local than that!

Taste October events based in Ards and North Down...