Medal winners in third London Spirits Competition announced

With so many spirits brands competing for space any premium back bar, how do you choose one vodka, or gin, or whisky, or mezcal over another. Well the medal winner in the third London Spirits Competition could be the place to look for not only is it judged by leading bartenders and managers, but it judges products for their quality, what they look like and, vitally, for their value for money.

Spirit Of The Year - St. Kilian Signature Edition FOUR by St. Kilian Distillers GmbH scoring 97 points making it the top score in the 2020 London Spirits Competition

Here are the results highlights

By Spirits Types:

Spirit Of The Year - St. Kilian Signature Edition FOUR by St. Kilian Distillers GmbH

Vodka Of The Year - G52 Botanical Vodka - Fresh Citrus by Glasgow Distillery Company

Rum Of The Year - Substation 41 by Pinnacle Drinks

Tequila Of The Year - Cutwater Tequila Reposado by Cutwater Spirits

Gin Of The Year - Barossa Distilling Barrel Aged Gin by Barossa Distilling

Whisky Of The Year - St. Kilian Signature Edition FOUR by Kilian Distillers GmbH

Distillery Of The Year - St. Kilian Distillers GmbH

Country Category Winners:

Australia - Substation 41 by Pinnacle Drinks

Germany - Signature Edition FOUR by St. Kilian Distillers GmbH

Mexico - Cutwater Tequila Reposado by Cutwater Spirits

Denmark - Fary Lochan Single Malt Whisky by Fary Lochan Destilleri A/S

United States - Petoskey Stone Gin by High Five

United Kingdom - The Whisky Baron Glenrothes by The Whisky Baron

Ukraine - The Inked Collection Wild Cranberry by Nemiroff

Canada - Georgian Bay Vodka by Georgian Bay Spirit Co.

Italy - JAMAICA White Pot Still by Rum Nation

France - Courvoisier Napoleon Fine Champagne Cognac by  De Kuyper Royal Distillers

Spain - Ron Aldea Familia by Destilerías Aldea, S.L.

By Judging Category:

Best Spirit By Quality - Fary Lochan Danish Single Malt

Best Spirit By Value - St. Kilian Signature Edition FOUR

Best Spirit By Package - St. Kilian Signature Edition FOUR

Click here to see the full results

What makes the London Spirits Competition different from its peers is that it does not just taste the spirits blind and base its decisions and medals on that, but goes two steps further. First it takes off the cover to reveal the spirit’s label, design and packaging and asks its judges to base a proportion of its scores on what spirits look like, and how successful it is in the story it is trying to tell, and then equally crucially from a consumer’s point of view how does the brand’s look, feel, taste and quality match up to its price point. Does it offer the consumer true value for money?

That’s why the London Spirits Competition can lay claim to the fact it is a competition that puts the interests of the consumers first as it is through their eyes the judges are tasked with making their decisions.

The overall medal scores are given as follows:

• Quality score: marked out of 50
• Value score: marked out of 25
• Packaging score: marked out of 25

To win a Gold you need to score 90 points or more. For a Silver it is 76-89 and Bronze it is  65-75.

To find out more about the London Spirits Competition and how it is organised and the details for next year’s competition then go to its website here. The competition is part of a series of “London” awards run by the Beverage Trade Network including Wines and Beers.