It was a great pleasure for me to get involved with the Gin Guide Awards for the first time this year. Some of the gins I tried were excellent and overall the entries were of a very high calibre. As always with judging the samples were judged blindly. Paul Jackson of The Gin Guide has sent the press release of all the winners which you’ll find below. Thank you so much for inviting me Paul, a great event, and I hope you’re finding time for a little r&r after so much hard work.
The hotly anticipated announcement of the winners of The Gin Guide Awards 2020 has taken place, with gins from around the world showing their quality and diversity. In the Awards’ most international selection of winners to date, including winning gins from Slovenia, Singapore and New Zealand, it showcases and celebrates the success and impressive development of the global gin industry.
Gins from more than 30 countries competed in The Gin Guide Awards 2020 in categories based on production methods, styles of gin, and countries of production. The winners are selected through a rigorous blind tasting process conducted by a large panel of distinguished gin experts, distillers, retailers and mixologists. Each gin’s appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel, finish and overall quality and market appeal are assessed to determine the highest scoring gins, based purely on the spirit itself and with no influence from branding or marketing.
Landmark Awards for international gins while British gins continue to show quality:
Henstone Distillery in Shropshire took centre stage with the ‘Distillery of the Year’ Award, alongside being winners in the London Dry Gin, Traditional Gin and Aged Gin categories. Norwich’s St Giles Distillery were also double winners with their St Giles Gin and their Raspberry, Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, with the latter impressively being the first gin to win a category two years running.
Singapore’s Tanglin Orchid Gin became the first Asian gin to win a category and Verdigris Gin from The National Distilling Company achieved the same feat for New Zealand as a winner of the Contemporary Gin category. Having won the Navy Strength Gin category in 2019, Slovenia’s Broken Bones Distillery returned with their London Dry Gin this year to be the top rated European Gin, with Dutch, Italian and German Gins also showing their prowess.
Gins from growing gin markets in Europe, Australasia and South Africa have become successful contenders in recent years, especially in the Contemporary Gin categories. However, it was the well represented British gins that continued to show their quality in the London Dry Gin, Traditional Gin and Flavoured Gin categories, with Stockport Gin Pink Edition and the recently launched Bond Street Signature Dry Gin being Award winners.
The full list of category winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2020 are listed below. Full details of winners, highly commended entrants and geographic high scorers for each category are available on The Gin Guide website, as well as a printable ‘Winners Checklist’ for gin lovers to tick off the gins as they try each of them:
https://www.theginguide.com/2020-winners.html
The Gin Guide Awards – The world’s largest dedicated gin competition:
Now in its 4th year, The Gin Guide Awards is an independent, global celebration of the historic, diverse and growing gin industry. Recognised and respected by the trade and consumers alike for its rigorous and quality-focused approach, The Gin Guide Awards serves to highlight the exceptional products, distilleries and people within the gin industry across the world. Keep an eye out for past winners displaying their Awards proudly on their bottles and packaging.
Head Judge Paul Jackson, the Founder and Editor of The Gin Guide, commented on The Gin Guide Awards 2020 and the standard of entries:
“The quality and diversity of gins has been remarkable. British gins and international gins alike showed the depth of skill in distillation and product development that exists in the industry. Gins from unexpected and emerging markets hugely impressed the esteemed judges and showed that gin can truly cross borders and be an exciting product in markets across the world.”
“Huge congratulations and credibility go to all the winners and finalists. It is an outstanding achievement to be a winner in The Gin Guide Awards, with the need to unanimously impress an expert panel of judges across all key characteristics of the spirit. Previous winners have used their success in The Gin Guide Awards to take their businesses to the next level, and I look forward to seeing this year’s winners enjoying the benefits of their achievements in the same way.”
Full List of Category Winners
Production Categories
London Dry Gin – Winners:
o Bond Street Signature Dry Gin (Leicestershire, England)
o Broken Bones London Dry Gin (Slovenia)
o Henstone London Dry Gin (Shropshire, England) Distilled Gin (Non London Dry) – Winners:
o Portofino Dry Gin (Italy)
o Speight’s Signature Gin (West Yorkshire, England) Compound Gin – Winners:
o Ginberg (Italy)
o Tranquebar Royal Danish Navy Gin (Netherlands) Aged Gin – Winners:
o Henstone Rosé Gin (Shropshire, England)
o Winestillery Old Tom Gin (Italy) Distillery of the Year – Winner:
o Henstone Distillery (Shropshire, England)Style Categories
Traditional Gin (Up to 42% ABV) – Winners:
o Bond Street Signature Dry Gin (Leicestershire, England)
o Tanglin Orchid Gin (Singapore) Traditional Gin (Over 42% ABV) – Winners:
o Henstone London Dry Gin (Shropshire, England)
o Tranquebar Royal Danish Navy Gin (Netherlands) Contemporary Gin (Up to 42% ABV) – Winners:
o Solar Gin (Netherlands)
o St Giles Gin (Norwich, England) Contemporary Gin (Over 42% ABV) – Winners:
o Broken Bones London Dry Gin (Slovenia)
o GINSTR – Stuttgart Dry Gin (Germany)
o Verdigris (New Zealand) Flavoured Gin – Winners:
o St Giles Raspberry, Rhubarb & Ginger Gin (Norwich, England)
o Stockport Gin – Pink Edition (Stockport, England) Navy Strength Gin (57% – 58% ABV) – Winners:
o Wardington’s Original Ludlow Dry Gin – Navy Strength Gin (Shropshire, England)
o Wolf Lane Distillery Navy Strength Gin (Australia) Old Tom Gin – Winner:
o Lytham Gin Bee’s Knees Old Tom Gin (Lancashire, England)International Categories
Best in Africa: Unit 43 Gin (South Africa)
Best in Asia: Tanglin Orchid Gin (Singapore)
Best in Australasia: Wolf Lane Navy Strength Gin (Australia)
Best in Britain: Henstone London Dry Gin (England)
Best in Europe: Broken Bones London Dry Gin (Slovenia)
Best in The Americas: BVI Gin (British Virgin Islands)Additional Categories
Design & Branding: Weisshorn Glacier Gin (Switzerland)
Environmental Sustainability: Bullards Gin (Norwich, England)
Environmental Sustainability (Small Producer): Shed 1 Distillery (Cumbria, England)To register your interest in The Gin Guide Awards 2021,
visit: https://www.theginguide.com/gin-awards.html
