Belfast’s Merchant Hotel introduces ‘luxury’ water menu

The Merchant Hotel in Belfast is set to launch what it calls Ireland’s first dedicated ‘luxury’ water menu. 

Set to launch this summer, the menu includes an exclusive collection of 13 bottled waters, with the most expensive bottle costing £26.45.

The menu, which includes bottles water handpicked from countries including Fiji, Canada, Italy, Iceland, Finland and the Faroe Islands, features a description of the water and its mineral content which the hotel claims helps to guide guests through the options available.

As a result of the menu, the five-star hotel has also appointed two new ‘water butlers’ that will help guests to choose the water that is right for their palate, explaining the unique benefits, tastes and attributes of the different brands – many of which can rarely be found in the UK and Ireland.

Gavin Carroll, general manager, said: “Just like wine, the location where water is produced will impact on its taste and flavour. Whilst experts can differentiate between the mineral content and PH-balance of different types of water, discerning consumers are also increasingly demanding a wider choice of waters.

“The ethos behind the new water menu is to allow our guests to have the chance and choice to curate their own bespoke food and beverage experience. Our water butlers can help customers decide on the type water that will best complement the food and wine they choose, to enable them to experience the perfect taste journey. “

Carroll said the brands features on the menu are some of the “world’s best” and have been sourced from a range of global locations including glaciers, tropical islands and mountains.

He added: “Of course, we know these luxury waters won’t be to everyone’s taste and new menu will be offered as an additional option to our current water menu that includes local Irish brands and for those that don’t want to splash out on water, we can still offer a glass of ‘Belfast water’, free of charge.”