The finalists in the first annual Scottish Gin Awards have been announced with 28 producers and 56 gins progressing to finalist stage in the new national competition.
The awards, sponsored by The Scottish Gin Society, cover both taste and business performance and were judged earlier this month by a highly experienced judging panel consisting of some of Scotland’s foremost gin and distilling experts.
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Eight distilleries will also fight it out for the top prize, Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year. Arbikie, Balmenach Distillery; Dunnet Bay Distillers; Eden Mill; Edinburgh Gin Distillery; Glasgow Distillery; Isle of Harris Distillery; and Summerhall Distillery have been selected following the strict independent judging process. All have been selected by assessing performance in both business categories and taste. In choosing the finalists, the distilleries had to score high marks in the written submission for Distillery of the Year while also reaching the finals of the taste categories.
75 Scottish gins were marked by 12 judges in a blind tasting adjudicated by the international sensory management consultancy, Cara Technology. More than half of all the entered gins have been selected in the taste categories as finalists with the highest scores. The top three performers will be awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in each of six categories.
Of the finalists, Edinburgh Gin leads the race with the highest number of gins in the finals. Eden Mill, Gin Bothy and Summerhall Distillery, the makers of Pickering’s Gin, follow with five gins each followed closely by The Glasgow Distillery, the makers of Makar Gin, with four.
Chair of the judging panel, Stephen White, founder of the Scottish Gin Society which sponsors the competition commented; “Chairing the judging session for the Scottish Gin Awards was challenging but one which the panel
absolutely thrived on. We reviewed a total of 60 written entries which we debated thoroughly, ensuring the process was rigorous, fair and crucially, free from any commercial influence.
“The evidence we reviewed showed that the Scottish gin industry is a vibrant, creative and high quality centre for the delivery of premium product which is among the best in the world. I expect that we will see many of our top producers gain the recognition that will come from winning one of these sought after awards.”
The winners will be announced at the Scottish Gin Awards dinner and celebration on Thursday 14 September 2017 held at the Doubletree by Hilton, in Glasgow.
London Dry Gin of the Year
Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin
Eden Mill Original Gin
Edinburgh Gin – Christmas Gin
Edinburgh Gin – Original Gin
Edinburgh Gin – Seaside Gin
Ginerosity
Isle of Harris Gin
LoneWolf Gin
Makar Glasgow Gin
McQueen Super Premium Dry Gin
NB Gin
Pickering’s Gin
Rock Rose Gin
Shetland Reel Ocean Sent Gin
Stirling Gin
Wild Island Botanic Gin
Verdant Dry Gin
Distilled Gin of the Year
Arbikie Kirsty’s Gin
Eden Mill Love Gin
Edinburgh Gin – Valentine’s Gin
El-Gin
Gin Bothy Original
Heather Rose Gin
Hills & Harbour Gin
Kirkjuvagr Gin
Persie Zesty Citrus Gin
The Teasmith Gin
Navy Strength Gin of the Year sponsored by Cara Technology
Avva Navy Strength Gin
Edinburgh Gin – Cannonball Gin
Navy Strength Rock Rose Gin
NB Gin Navy Strength
Oaked Highland Distillery Strength
Pickering’s Navy Strength Gin
Shetland Reel Up Helly Aa Gin: 2017 Edition
Cask Gin of the Year
Arbikie Cask Aged Kirsty’s Gin
Eden Mill Oak Gin
Firkin Gin
Makar Cask Aged Gin – Matured In Mulberry Wood
Makar Cask Aged Gin – Matured In Oak
Pickering’s Islay Cask Gin
Speciality Gin of the Year
Eden Mill Hop Gin
Gin Bothy Gunshot Infused Gin
Johnsmas
Makar Old Tom
McQueen Spiced Chocolate Orange Gin
Persie Sweet & Nutty Old Tom Gin
Rock Rose Spring Edition
Gin Liqueur of the Year
Eden Mill Strawberry & Black Pepper Liqueur
Edinburgh Gin – Elderflower Liqueur
Edinburgh Gin – Raspberry Liqueur
Edinburgh Gin – Plum & Vanilla Liqueur
Edinburgh Gin – Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur
Gin Bothy Raspberry Liqueur
Gin Bothy Chilli Liqueur
Gin Bothy Amaretto
Gordon Castle Raspberry Gin
Growth Business of the Year sponsored by Blackadders
Dunnet Bay Distillers
St Andrews Brewers – Eden Mill
Shetland Distillery Company
Stirling Gin
Excellence in Marketing
St Andrews Brewers – Eden Mill
Isle of Skye Distillers
Orkney Distilling Company
Summerhall Distillery
The Teasmith Spirit Company
Excellence in Branding sponsored by Wolffe
St Andrews Brewers – Eden Mill
House of Elrick
Isle of Harris Distillery
LoneWolf
Lussa Drinks Company
Spirits for Good, Ginerosity
The Teasmith Spirit Company
Colonsay Beverages, Wild Island Gin
Innovation of the Year
Crafty Distillery
Esker Spirits
Gin Bothy
Spirits for Good
Summerhall Distillery
Scottish Gin Bar of the Year sponsored by TLT Solicitors
56 North
Gin 71
Heads & Tales
One Square
Scottish Gin Event of the Year
Solid Liquids – Juniper
Stirling Gin Festival
Scottish Gin Destination of the Year
Dunnet Bay Distillery, John O Groats (Rock Rose)
St Andrews Brewers – Guardbridge, Fife (Eden Mill)
Ian Macleod Distillers, Edinburgh (Edinburgh Gin)
Balmenach Distillery, Grantown on Spey (Caorunn)
Shetland Distillery Company, Unst, Shetland (Shetland Reel)
Scottish Distillery of the Year sponsored by The Scottish Gin Society
Arbikie
Balmenach Distillery
Dunnet Bay Distillers
Eden Mill
Edinburgh Gin Distillery
Glasgow Distillery
Isle of Harris Distillery
Summerhall Distillery
