The Dingle Distillery is to begin exporting its own branded gin to the US, following a distribution deal with American importer A Hardy USA.

Produced in Co Kerry, the gin was launched on to the American market over the weekend, at an event in the Fraunces Tavern in New York.

Owned by Irish brewing company the Porterhouse group, the Fraunces Tavern is the oldest tavern in New York and was the place where president George Washington bade farewell to his officers after the revolution.

Oliver Hughes, founder of the Porterhouse group and Dingle Distillery, said the US was the first major export market for the gin, adding he hopes to reach the four corners of the world ultimately.

“A Hardy USA is an importer with 120 distributors across the States. Our product should be nationwide there within the next six months,” he said.

“We are targeting a premium market in the US. It is a competitive area but there is space,” he said.

Mr Hughes said the distillery started distilling gin and vodka in October 2012 with each bottle being hand bottled and sealed at the distillery. It is currently sold in approximately 200 specialist off-licences and bars in Ireland.

He said A Hardy is a niche distributor and thus a good match for Dingle Gin which is an artisan gin.

“Sometimes if you’re with a really big distributor your product can get lost.”

He said the decision to produce an artisan Irish gin was made after seeing the rise in popularity of craft beers.

On top of the gin, the distillery is also producing its own branded vodka, which Hughes hopes to bring to the US at a later stage. It is also producing whiskey, with the first casks expected to be ready in 2015.