Sober Spirits’ Post

WHAT IT MEANS TO WIN AT THE London Competitions? North Uist Distillery | Certified B-Corp that won the 2023 London Spirits Competition with its award-winning Downpour Gin from Scotland share a few insights with our team. Downpour Scottish Dry Gin, from the North Uist Distillery Company in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, was the highest scoring spirits brand with 98 points in the 2023 London Spirits Competition. Here’s what it meant to the distillery owners Kate MacDonald and Jonny Ingledew: “Being a gold medal winner at the London Spirits Competition has had a significant impact on our sales. One of our business goals for the year was to gain more traction in the on-trade. Recognition from London Spirits Competition has acted as a seal of approval in this respect as the competition is judged by some of the world’s leading figures from the hospitality sector. Not only this, judging is undertaken with the end consumer in mind, so you know the judges can genuinely see a space for your products.” “Often it is difficult to identify a tangible link between awards success and specific listings, however, I can point to several new partnerships as a direct result of our London Spirits Competition medals. This includes a listing with a high-end UK-wide department store whose buyer was on the judging panel. This also includes the opening up of a new export market after we were approached by an importer who had seen coverage of our success.” “This is no coincidence. The LSC team did a superb job of promoting the competition and providing a platform for the medal winners. We have won top medals in other competitions and it was a flash in the pan, whereas LSC has sustained the coverage throughout the year. We really appreciate it – thank you!” #brandsuccess #globalrecognition #brandstory North Uist Distillery | Certified B-Corp | Kate MacDonald | Jonny Ingledew The Deadline for entry to the London Competitions is February 22.⌛️ Enter while you still have time: https://lnkd.in/dRVxt6b PS: Image proudly showing LSC sticker on top of the bottle. 😍

Measuring the success of Carpathian Single Malt Whisky can be achieved through various channels, but one of the most important, is winning medals at prestigious spirits competitions and they don't come much larger or more renowned than the The Global Spirits Masters Competitions | GSMC Masters - The World Whisky Masters 2024. We are so thrilled to announce that in the European category, Capathian Single Malt Whisky expressions of Vradiano & Peated Cask Strength received Gold medals, whilst Feteasca Neagra & Cognac Cask finishes received Silver medals. Why so important? The Global Spirits Masters Competition is one of the world's most highly regarded series of blind-tastings. Judging is divided into category-specific competitions to ensure each entry is given the utmost attention by specialised judges. "Our single malt whisky continues to excel beyond Romania's borders, impressing the palates of judges, experts and consumers worldwide. Such great results in such a prominent competition really makes me proud" Allan Anderson, Master Distiller & Whisky Director - Alexandrion Group. #carpathiansinglemaltwhisky #romaniasfirstsinglemaltwhisky #romanianmaltedbarley #singlemalt #spiritsindustry #thespiritsmasters #thespiritsbusiness #spiritscompetition #spiritsjudging #blindtasting #whiskytasting #spiritscollection #spiritslovers #beverageindustry

How San Francisco Became the World's Most Important Whisky Competition San Francisco's whisky competition has become a global leader in the industry. 🥃 - 🌉 Established reputation in the spirits industry - 🏆 Rigorous judging standards and esteemed panel - 🌎 International participation and recognition - 🍀 Diverse range of entries from around the world - 🌱 Focus on innovation and quality #WhiskyLovers #SanFrancisco #SpiritsIndustry 🔍 **Additional Insights:** - 💡 San Francisco's whisky competition draws entries from top distilleries worldwide. - 🌟 The competition's credibility is built on its meticulous evaluation process. - 🌐 Winners often gain international acclaim, boosting their brand recognition. - 🍀 This event celebrates both traditional and emerging whisky brands. - 🎉 The competition promotes industry growth and excellence in whisky making. How San Francisco Became The World's Most Important Whisky Competition https://lnkd.in/gK2rQHJD

Huge news! We’ve won a Gin “Master” Award at The Global Spirits Masters Competitions | GSMC 🥳 Out of roughly 400 x Gins tasted blind, Master’s medals were only awarded to entries HIGHER than Gold. We’re 1 of just 36 in the WORLD 😳 Organised by the The Spirits Business - Judges were given a numbered glass & tasked with rating each entry in terms of botanical balance, distillation quality & overall character of the liquid 🧐 Judges described our contribution as a Gin with “so much interesting curry spice on the nose. Well-balanced cumin, ginger, turmeric & anise alongside fresh vegetal notes create a lot of very exciting complexity. Slightly dry, the palate is really well done - complex with a great finish” ✍️ After fighting our way into the top 5% of all Gins in the world this year at the IWSC - Club Oenologique, we were eager to know whether we could match this result with another stellar performance … … and just by following our normal recipe, here’s the answer! 🍸 These results are the ultimate “tonic” (if you’ll pardon the pun) for the now “multi award-winning” Gin I spent several boozy months creating from scratch during lockdown 🙏 Exciting times ahead - the start of another new chapter! 🙌 #iwsc #globalspiritsmasters #spiritsmasters #master #award #gin #spiritsbusiness #thespiritsbusiness #thinklocal #dorset

Whisky Defined- Three Whisky Competitions, One Global Whisky Champion.    We are introducing the Global Whisky Challenge, the world's first whisky competition to evaluate whiskies made within three geographical regions. The Global Whisky Challenge will define excellence in whiskies worldwide. The 2024 competition is now accepting entries.   Wine Country Network, Inc., the premier producer of professional beverage competitions in the USA, organizes the GWC. They are most famous for the Denver International Spirits Competition and the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition.    The Global Whisky Challenge aims to define excellence in whisky production worldwide and permit distillers of all sizes from all locations to compete globally. The judging is focused entirely just on whisky/whiskey. No Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila, or Brandy will be accepted.    2024 Global Whisky Challenge Competitions: •UK (Scotland, Britain, and Ireland) and Europe Made Whisky-April 2024 •Japan, Asia, and Oceana Made Whisky-May 2024 •North American Made Whiskey-June 2024   Our senior judges will taste the top winners from each competition again. They will select the 2024 Global Whisky Champion.  #scotchwhisky #bourbon #singlemalt GLOBALWHISKYCHALLENGE.COM            

The London Spirits Competition is now considered one of the most important spirits competitions in the world and is positioned to call itself the world’s most relevant spirits competition as it rewards products how consumers and trade buy today. The competition is known to attract the best spirits judges in the world and reviews products by Quality, Value, and Package. Winning LSC clearly demonstrates the trade how well the spirits will be perceived in the market and will give the trade a very good indicator to stock that spirit. Winning at the London Competitions boosts global sales. Brands such as Downpour Gin and Tamborine Mountain Distillery achieved deserved success, drawing in buyers and gaining recognition. Discover how your brand can achieve similar success. Here are some testimonials on how brands have benefited with international expansion and how brands can further use the winning of London Competition to grow international markets.

Here's the full update on our amazing news....

What’s it like to taste 180 whiskies for a spirit competition? 🥃🥃🥃 Sure, it’s a marathon of sipping (and spitting) often high abv spirits, but between the water guzzling and cracker munching, I cherish the opportunity to judge the Scotch and World Whisky categories for the IWSC each year. It’s a fascinating snapshot of how the category is doing, not just within Scotch but whiskies across the world. So what did I learn this year? See my biggest takeaways below. Also kudos to the whole team behind the competition who organise thousands of samples, and look after us judges so well 🙏🏼💛 - Lower abvs for the win. Aside from numbing my face, I found high proofs tended to mask off-flavours and lack of complexity. I get that connoisseurs love a smack round the chops, but I found so much more nuance and subtlety at 40-46%. - There’s some fantastic new make spirit coming out of England, which makes me giddy (more than I am already) for the future of English whisky. We gave our only Gold Outstanding of the day to an English new make… - Don’t sleep on blended whisky - it offers incredible value and there are some damn tasty options out there. - We need to quit saying Japan produces the best whisky in the world. There are some delicious whiskies but taste is subjective, and I wasn’t wholly impressed with the samples I tried. - I’d like to see more diversity among judges - we represent the palates of the world after all, so differing experiences is important. Thanks to @jodies_edit for capturing me with my Rep ring 🐍📸 #whisky #whiskey #iwsc #spiritscompetition #whiskytasting

The Campbeltown region. 🥃 It’s tiny. In fact, it’s the smallest of the 5 Scotch whisky producing regions, but once a thriving hub of Scotch whisky production. Where is Campbeltown? The Campbeltown region is located by the Campbeltown Loch on the remote Kintyre peninsula of western Scotland. How many distilleries belong in the Campbeltown region? Three. Sorry, three? 😲 Yes, you read that correctly. They are Springbank Distillers Ltd, Glen Scotia and Glengyle Distillery. Why is the Campbeltown region so small? It once was a thriving region of whisky production with more than 30 distilleries in the area. However, the effects of WW1 and WW2 as well as the American prohibition took its toll on the region and distilleries struggled to continue. For many years, the region’s distilleries amounted to just two – Glen Scotia and Springbank - but in November 2000 Glengyle (which had originally closed in 1925) re-opened its doors, producing whisky under the name of Kilkerrin. Are any other distilleries set to open? Yes, Witchburn Distillery, Dal Riata Distillery, and The Machrihanish Distillery are set to open in the coming years. Does Campbeltown whisky have a particular flavour profile? Not really. It produces whisky that encompasses many different flavour profiles from fruit to spice and even a bit of smokiness. Can I visit? Definitely. In fact, it’s a great region to visit. A visit to one of the distilleries is like stepping back in time 150 years, as little has changed in terms of production methods since then. In fact, Springbank even has a malting floor, which is a very rare thing these days. Any festivals I should know about? Yes, every year in May the town hosts the Campbeltown Malts Festival where the distilleries, and Wm Cadenhead Ltd (Scotland’s oldest independent bottler) throw open their doors for tours, masterclasses, live music and special bottlings. Are you a fan of Campbeltown whisky? Have you visited before? Let me know in the comments. 💫 FOLLOW me for more whisky-related insights. 🔗 CONNECT with me if you are interested in content for your business, brand or website. #whisky #scotchwhisky #scotland

Indian single malts have outperformed global giants like Glenlivet and Macallan, securing a 53% market share in 2023, according to CIABC Office. Of the 675,000 cases sold last year, 345,000 were from Indian makers, growing by 23%, while imported ones grew at 11%. This milestone reflects the progress of Indian whisky makers in terms of quality, challenging traditional perceptions. The trend has prompted Diageo and Pernod Ricard to launch local brands. Despite foreign brands panicking, Indian makers dismiss Scotch puritans and emphasize the fantastic quality and experimentation driving the demand for Indian single malts. DIAGEO India Pernod Ricard India Click https://lnkd.in/gm3mG4Hk to read the latest issue of Brews&Spirits