Declan McGurk managed the American bar at the Savoy for many years, and is now commercial director of the Boatyard Distillery. He talks to Hospitality Ireland about feeling at home in Fermanagh and great gin.
Originally from Fermanagh, Declan McGurk spent seven years at the Savoy in London, where he managed the American Bar, as it was crowned the number-one bar in the world, and then went on to become the hotel’s director of bars. During his time at the Savoy, Declan was on the lookout for a new gin to bring back to the bar in London. During a trip home to see his parents, he discovered Boatyard. Impressed by what he found, he brought the Boatyard Distillery to the Savoy and in 2020 joined the company himself, as commercial director.
Declan, please tell us about your background – your education, upbringing, etc.
I was brought up in England, as my dad was stationed there for work. My father is from Belfast, but in the 1950s, he decided to join the Merchant Navy, as Belfast was becoming a difficult place.
He then became a lecturer at Fleetwood Nautical College, in Lancashire, which was quite a specialised role. My mother was a nurse, and she is from Derrygonnelly, which is the town closest to our distillery in Fermanagh. She is part of a Fermanagh farming family called the Duffys, who would be well known in the area – well known not just because of farming, but also because her father was a trad musician, Eddie Duffy.
So, whilst I was being brought up in England, it was a very Irish upbringing, and all holidays were spent on the family farm in Fermanagh. My parents moved back to Fermanagh just after the turn of the millennium, and, as the crow flies, their house is just a few miles from the Boatyard Distillery. After I finished school in Lancashire, I decided to go to the University of Leeds and studied geology, which I successfully graduated in.
What drew you to hospitality?
On the side, while studying, I had a bartending job. Originally, it was flair bartending that drew me in, and I regularly entered competitions, throwing bottles around. From these competitions I developed a network and a passion for cocktails, and the art of making them.
When I graduated, I decided to stay in Leeds and pursue a full-time career in bars. It was a job I was passionate about.
Quite early in the journey, I moved into management and got a great thrill from leading people. I also continued to develop my cocktail skills and entered numerous cocktail competitions. One thing led to another, and whilst I started to grow a name in the drinks business, I decided to make the move to London. I could see that this was a place to be for a bar career.
How did you begin working at the Savoy?
The position of bar manager of the American Bar became available, and I was invited to apply. Even though I had no real pedigree of working in hotels, I had a good track record as a manager, and an extraordinary passion for what the American Bar represented. It is Europe’s oldest cocktail bar, so to get the opportunity to walk into the Savoy and work there – I guess my passion
shone through. It was my chance to write a chapter.
How was that? Please tell us about your career trajectory within the Savoy.
I enjoyed a wonderful time at the Savoy, which lasted just under eight years. From starting off as the bar manager of the American Bar, I worked my way up to the position of director of bars and oversaw all beverage aspects in the Savoy Hotel. I was even MOD [manager on duty] for Christmas 2019, so my wife and two kids enjoyed a Savoy stay for Christmas. During my time at the Savoy, the greatest recognition we achieved was to win World’s Number-One Bar in the prestigious 50 Best Bars [competition]. Individually, in 2019, I was also named CLASS magazine’s Best Bar Manager in the UK – the second time I won that award, as I also won it in 2007.
What was it like being crowned number-one bar in the world during your time there?
When we won number one in the World’s 50 Best Bars, it was such a moment that I will never forget. It was a goal set years earlier, and, year by year, a dedicated, focused push to achieve it was delivered.
At times, it felt like a huge challenge, but at all times we had a positive attitude, and it was about how we can win it, and when. For the team, it was wonderful, and it has influenced so many of their careers. It’s this relationship with the development of the team that was the highlight of my time there. So many hard-working and talented people have used this platform we had at the Savoy, and they have gone on to achieve so much. Ex-colleagues are found, literally, all over the world, and they are also some of my biggest supporters at Boatyard. The other big memory of winning was, the next morning, very hungover, I had to go into a P&L deep dive. I will never forget that hangover, either!
How did you come across Boatyard?
Living in London, I have two daughters, and I like to bring them over to Fermanagh as much as possible. Of course, I want them to get spoiled by my parents, but I also want them to have an affinity to Ireland. Ireland is such a unique country, where many people live all over the world, and they are proud of their Irish heritage. I want my daughters to feel this way.
On one visit in early 2017, by chance, I got the opportunity at Belfast International Airport to taste Boatyard’s Double Gin, and I loved it. When I then checked the rear label, to see where it was made, I was in total shock! The distillery was just a few miles from where my folks live. On returning to the Savoy, I started stocking the product, and we were the first bar outside of Ireland to stock Boatyard. From Day One, I have believed in the product.
What drew you to it?
Boatyard is a unique product that pays homage to a classic style of gin. It was simply the best gin I had ever tasted. At the American Bar, we used to serve many Martini cocktails, so I took great pride in selling something from Fermanagh. As a style, it is juniper forward and has great notes of citrus and spice. This combination means it is wonderful for making a great Martini with. I even upsold one to a James Bond. His mum was very surprised to hear of something good from Fermanagh. In exact words, she said, “Nothing good ever comes out of that bog.” Well, we won her over, but you don’t mess with a mother of a James Bond.
Please tell us about your growth strategy with Boatyard.
Our gin has been made with Martinis in mind, so a major part of our strategy is to get the bottles into the hands of the best bartenders. If bartenders fall in love with our product, we see it as the most authentic approval, and one that will gain new consumers. The US has been very important, as if you make it there, you can make it anywhere. We launched it in New York in 2021 and are now stocked in over 500 places in New York alone. Our home market of Ireland is important, too, and it is here where we really concentrate on retail, as, ultimately, we want every home in Ireland to have access to buying Boatyard.
What are your business models?
We build the brand in the on-trade and try and own the Martini cocktail. It’s a goal of ours in the future that if someone thinks of a Martini, they think of Boatyard. Doing things in the right way is also important, and we recently became B Corp certified. In fact, we are the first distillery in Ireland to achieve this status.
What are your hopes for Boatyard?
We want to be the number-one Irish gin brand in the world. Through a strong expansion plan in the US, the aim is to build a legacy brand that will be here long after we are gone. We want this vehicle to also help promote our local area, Fermanagh, as our origins are very important.
Please tell us more about your plans for the brand in 2025.
The main focus is to do a full, multi-state expansion in the US. At home, it is important to get into all of the key retailers, and we have identified that our presence in Dunnes will be important to our growth nationwide. We will also continue to seek out innovative events to be a part of, and aim to operate in a way that’s positive to the world around us.
What do you see as the major challenges within the industry at the moment?
The cost of goods continues to rise, and we continue to come up against huge global brands. It makes it very challenging, as their budgets dwarf us, but we all know how the story ended in David and Goliath.
The investor has been a challenge at times, but we have a group of people that believe in us, and we look to grow here, but in the right way.
What are the main opportunities?
We are an unusual business with great, best-in-class liquid, operating in a highly sustainable manner. It’s about inspiring our consumer base to not just buy us, but to join us.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am a very keen runner. I did my first marathon in 2024 and hope to keep running all my life. Whenever I travel with work, I always bring my running shoes. I also am a keen cycling fan, but don’t ride myself any more, as I had a bad accident in 2018. Ireland has a great history of some fantastic Irish cyclists, and they really thrill me. I love to read and am proud of Irish literary history. I have even had a dabble myself, having written one children’s book, but it’s yet to get published. I am flirting with the idea of trying to write a bit of poetry.
Anything else exciting on the horizon for now that you want to tell us about?
Over the festive period this year, we are raising money for a charity local to Boatyard Distillery, called South West Age Partnership. They are a charity that are out in the rural community near the distillery, helping the elderly. Being the son of a nurse and having watched my wife previously work in a care home, I have become aware of just how hard getting older can be for some people.
A charity out helping our elderly in the community is really important to me to support.
