IWSC - Club Oenologique

Join Olivier Ward, IWSC Spirits Judging Committee, as he discusses the increasingly popular subject of vacuum distilling and it's sustainability credentials - in our latest webinar, in partnership with Bingil Bay Distillery. Olivier is joined by Ian Burrell - The Global Rum Ambassador & IWSC 2024 Spirits Communicator, Russ Wakeham from Two Drifters Distillery - winner of our 2023 Green Spirit Initiative Trophy, Jimmy Harris - IWSC Judge and one third of Glassmates plus Paul Williams - Founder & Head Distiller at Bingil Bay Distillery, pioneers in vacuum distilling. Follow the link below to watch the webinar in full 👇 https://hubs.ly/Q02WkKd20

With just 2 weeks to go until our 2024 Awards Celebration, we are delighted to announce our bar sponsors for this long-awaited evening 🍸️ First up is Franklin & Sons who will be working with two of our shortlisted spirits producers Herno Gin & Del Maguey Mezcal on some delicious serves created by two leading bartenders from one of their latest and most exciting projects: The Mix, which you can read more about by following the link below - Panos Ntalianis from Joia at Art’Otel Battersea and Davide Leanza from Viajante 87 🍹 Joining them on the night will be Monkey Shoulder, fresh from achieving an impressive gold medal (97 points!) and 2 silver medals in this year's competition. Monkey Shoulder will be serving up a storm of 4 innovative cocktails including their classic Ginger Monkey mix - amongst others 🫚🐵 Eyes peeled for further announcements 👀 https://hubs.ly/Q02W9Gxb0

Following our Wine Judging in Margaret River in the summer, our Judging Committee member Alex Hunt MW joined The Drinking Hour podcast alongside judges David Kermode and Shanteh Wale. 🎧 Kermode asks his fellow judges what defines the wines of Margaret River. Hunt’s answer lies in what he classes as ‘beauty in moderation’, while Wale focuses on maritime influence and touches on the efforts by some Margaret River winemakers to incorporate indigenous cultures and practices. Other topics on the agenda include favourite grape varieties from the region, overall perceptions of the wines they judged, their hopes for the region and their advice to Margaret River’s winemakers. To hear the full podcast, click the link below: https://hubs.ly/Q02VZq_B0 #iwsc #iwsc2024 #iwscmargaretriver #margaretriverwine #winesofmargaretriver #winesofaustralia

"What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?" - asked Lucy Shaw ❔️ "Winning the UK Sommelier of the Year competition for sure." - answered Philipp Reinstaller, IWSC 2024 UK Sommelier of the Year 🏆️ Lucy Shaw recently caught up with Philipp Reinstaller following his impressive win at last week's UK Sommelier of the Year competition, hosted at the beautiful Christ Church Spitalfields ⛪️ You can read the full interview - as well as a summary of the overall event and our winners - by following the link below... https://hubs.ly/Q02VQ3Z90 Thank you again, of course, to our wonderful sponsors and partners. Until next year - eyes peeled for further announcements! 👀

Following our recent announcement of our spirits trophies, our sister publication Club Oenologique have launched a dedicated section showcasing our brilliant winners. To see the full list of trophy winning spirits, along with tasting notes and scores from our expert judges, follow the link: https://hubs.ly/Q02V3kXy0 #iwsc #iwsc2024 #iwsctrophies #iwscspirits

We are excited to reveal the evening schedule for our upcoming Awards Celebration on 12 November at the iconic Roundhouse, London. The schedule for this spectacular event is as follows: 🔹The welcome drinks reception on the mezzanine - 5.30pm. 🔸Awards announcements and dinner - 6.30pm. 🔹Tasting of the IWSC’s Gold and Trophy-winning wines, spirits, and other categories along with networking and enjoying the evening's entertainment - 9:00pm. 🔸Carriages at midnight. We can't wait to see everyone for an evening of celebration, fine wines and spirits, dinner, and networking! 🥂See the full schedule at the link below: https://hubs.ly/Q02V3fS00 #iwsc #iwsc2024 #iwscawardsceremony #drinksindustry #iwscawardscelebration

A little update on activities from our partners - IWSC Judge, Sarah Miller, has certainly been busy! First up, Sarah interviewed the team at Talis, sponsor of our Grape Brandy Producer Trophy, to discuss their new, state-of-the-art Production Unit "located to the south of Porto in São Joã de Ver, close to both North Portugal’s cork region, and to Talis’ own natural and technical cork production units, which helps to minimise transportation and related emissions." Sarah also caught up with Franklin & Sons, our exclusive Mixer Partner, about the "science of carbonation" and how their "higher quality, carbonated mixers" help create better tasting serves! Follow the links below to read both pieces in full... https://hubs.ly/Q02Vsfhp0 https://hubs.ly/Q02VsclR0

Winning an IWSC medal can help boost sales! 📈 Following the IWSC 2024 Spirits results announcement, our Head Judge for Gin Olivier Ward was invited to Sunday Brunch on UK’s Channel 4. Olivier brought with him 3 gold medal-winning gins from the IWSC. One of which was Great Bustard Gin by Downton Distillery. The effect of this TV appearance for Downton Distillery, an artisan gin producer in the south of England, surpassed any of their expectations as their phone “went ballistic with orders”. To find out how their medal win helped increase their sales by 830%, read our case study at the link: https://hubs.ly/Q02V3fl80 #iwsc #iwsc2024 #iwscspirits #iwscgin #iwscmedals

After the IWSC's recent Judging in Kentucky, members of our international panel discussed their thoughts on the whiskeys they tasted, the trends they have noticed and shared their advice to American producers seeking to grow their exports. 🥃 ⁠ View the full video, and read a summary of what Shannon Tebay, Dawn Davies MW, Nate Gana and Richard Paterson OBE had to say at the link below: https://hubs.ly/Q02V3fzb0 Thank you to our partners: The Bardstown Bourbon Company, CaskX, Helmsman Imports, Heaven Hill Distillery, Kentucky Eagle, Inc., Franklin & Sons, Libbey, Lux Row Distillers, Rabbit Hole Distillery, Glencairn Crystal Studio Ltd #iwsc #iwsckentucky #iwscnorthamerica #whiskey #whisky #bourbon #iwscspiritsjudging

Our trophy winners don't just take home awards; they also gain the spotlight in leading publications like Forbes, Men's Journal, and Food & Drink Business. 🗞️ For many of our winners, this media exposure helps increase their brand awareness and boost sales. Visit the link below to see how some of our winners have been featured in international press: https://hubs.ly/Q02V2TLP0 #iwsc #iwsc2024 #iwsctrophywinners #iwscwine #iwscspirits #drinksindustry