Jawbox will promote its Original Gin & Ginger serve and has secured a travel-retail exclusive Export Strength bottle for World Duty Free, part of a wider push to raise the international profile of Northern Irish spirits.

Jawbox Gin will be among a string of homegrown spirit producers showcased at Belfast City Airport later this month as the operator stages its inaugural ‘That’s The Spirit’ week. The week-long programme runs from 23 to 30 August 2025 and will see sampling and activations across World Duty Free and the Aspire Lounge, giving travellers the chance to try products from several Northern Irish distillers. (Sources: The Spirits Business; Northern Ireland Travel News; TRBusiness)

Speaking to The Spirits Business, Gerry White, founder of Jawbox Gin, said he was “delighted” to be part of the airport’s campaign and described the activation as a way to “shine a spotlight on the quality and creativity of local spirits.” Jawbox will be promoting its signature “Original Gin & Ginger” serve during the week — a proposition the brand launched to attract consumers who dislike tonic. The Spirits Business has previously noted that the serve is presented in a distinctive Jawbox mug and leans on Belfast’s historical connection to ginger ale to complement the gin’s 11 botanicals. (Sources: The Spirits Business; The Spirits Business, Dec 2024)

The airport listing also dovetails with Jawbox’s wider travel-retail push. Food NI reports that Jawbox has secured a travel-retail exclusive listing with Dufry for an Export Strength expression bottled at 47% ABV, triple-distilled and presented in a matt‑black travel retail bottle created for World Duty Free at Belfast City Airport. The listing, and distribution via Kirker Greer Spirits, was described by the distributor as an important route to raise the brand’s visibility among the thousands of passengers who pass through the terminal. (Source: Food NI)

The spirit-week programme will feature samples and brand activations from Copeland, Basalt, Boatyard, Hinch, Jawbox and Titanic Distillers, with brand representatives on hand to offer tasting notes and insights into their distilling processes. Sampling will take place in the World Duty Free store and the Aspire Lounge, and organisers say the aim is to offer passengers a genuine “taste of the place” by foregrounding local provenance and craft. (Sources: The Spirits Business; Northern Ireland Travel News; TRBusiness; Insider Media)

Belfast City Airport has framed the initiative as part of a broader strategy to champion Northern Irish producers. Michael Jackson, head of commercial at the airport, told The Spirits Business that the operator is “passionate about showcasing the very best that Northern Ireland has to offer” and wants to support local producers by exposing them to an international audience. The airport’s own news releases have recently highlighted listings such as Basalt Distillery’s Giants Basalt Rock Gin in World Duty Free as examples of that approach. (Sources: The Spirits Business; Belfast City Airport release; Insider Media)

Passengers will also see related offers in the airport’s food-and-beverage outlets: restaurants The Artisan and Samson’s Kitchen & Bar will run special promotions tied to the spirit‑week activations. Organisers say the combination of sampling in retail and lounge environments plus promotions in eateries is intended to create multiple touchpoints for discovery — from a brief sample at the shop to a fuller serve in a bar or restaurant. (Sources: The Spirits Business; Northern Ireland Travel News).

Taken together, the week reflects two converging trends: a resurgence in Northern Irish distilling and an increasing focus on travel retail as a growth channel for regional brands. The airport and its retail partner argue that listings and sampling programmes translate local craft into commercial opportunity by putting bottles in front of travellers; Jawbox and its distributor present the partnership as a way to connect with a wider, international audience. Observers of the sector will watch to see whether such activations move beyond short-term exposure to sustained sales uplifts and longer-term export traction for the smaller distillers involved. (Sources: Belfast City Airport release; Food NI; The Spirits Business)