Top award for Northern Irish cream liqueur

Ballycastle Classic Irish Country Cream Liqueur from Aldi Northern Ireland has won a major award in this year's annual Spirits Business Liqueur Masters Awards.

The liqueur is processed for the German-owned supermarket chain in Northern Ireland using cream from grass-fed dairy cows on local farms and supplied by Ballyrashane Creamery in Coleraine, county Derry, now part of the LacPatrick joint venture with Town of Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.

The Liqueur Masters competition aims to find and reward the finest liqueur brands on the world stage. Chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists, the liqueurs will be judged in a blind tasting to discover the Liqueur Masters of 2016. Excellence will be recognised by category, age and design and packaging.

Ballycastle gained a silver award in the event. It's the latest in a series of awards for the liqueur which retails at £4.29.

A panel of spirits industry experts was tasked with finding the best cream liqueurs from a large number of entries. The judges were Jamie Kimber, Willem Barentsz brand ambassador; Tobias Gorn, director, Campbell & Gorn; Nicola Thomson, director, Fifteen71; Julie Campbell, wine and spirit consultant; Rui Costa, bartender at Pollen Street Social; and Alessio Franzese, executive general manager at Rum & Sugar, all chaired by myself, Kristiane Sherry.

Each sample was assessed blind on its own merit within an appropriate flight, with medals awarded on the basis of appearance, nose, palate, balance, and overall impression.

Ballycastle Irish Cream has been described by judges in previous awards as 'everything you'd expect from a cream liqueur - thick, creamy and luscious'.

The liqueur features triple distilled Irish whiskey, the drink was just one of Aldi's successful spirits in the prestigious awards.