A local distillery has taken home a sustainability award at a global drinks ceremony.

Boatyard Distillery was named the 'Sustainable Spirits Product of the Year' at the second annual Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards.

The competition, which is the only one of its kind in the wine and spirits industry, recognises efforts in environment, social, and governance (ESG).

The results were announced at a ceremony in Cannes on September 30.

Boatyard Distillery beat competition from around the world to take the title.

Founder Joe McGirr accepted the award on behalf of the distillery at the cocktail party held at the Palais Stephanie Beach.

He said: "To take our distillery from Fermanagh and be represented at a global awards ceremony in Cannes is something that, when we started out, I never actually dreamed would happen.

"We believe as a business that we should act sustainably and we feel privileged to gain such an accolade recognising this dedication and commitment."

The Boatyard Distillery was not the only smaller brand to make it onto the winners' list.

They were joined by other smaller brands such as The Waterford Distillery, Bruichladdich Distillery, and Sxollie Cider.

These brands were recognised alongside large international names such as Avolta, Brockmans Gin, Champagne Telmont, and Diageo.

Global Drinks Intel's chief operating officer and marketing director, Kate Wake-Walker, said: "For the second year, we were overwhelmed by the high number of entries to the Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards.

"We’ve always believed this initiative has an important role to play in the beverage alcohol industry – a belief supported by the strong level of engagement.

"Over the last 12 months, drinks brands have been working hard to strengthen and amplify their ESG efforts.

"We are very proud to support them with these awards.

"We’re already looking forward to hearing about our industry’s sustainability initiatives in 2025."

The Boatyard Distillery's commitment to sustainability impressed the panel of judges.

The judges said: "This company is working hard to embed eco-friendly measures across its business in the most holistic way we’ve seen."