Scottish Gins carry away medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition
A super selection of Scottish Gin makers are celebrating after picking up medals at an international spirit awards ceremony.
One of the world’s most prestigious spirit competitions, the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) is an independent competition with an expert global tasting panel.
Every product entered is sampled via a rigorous two-stage judging process including blind tasting and a chemical and microbiological spirit analysis.
Winning a ‘Silver – Outstanding’ categorisation means the judges described the product as: ‘outstanding example; excellent quality’. While a bronze medal means they classed it as “Well above average”
Winners
There were huge celebrations at Esker Spirits, who scooped two top prizes. Their Esker Honey Spiced Gin won a gold medal while their multi-award winning Esker Gin secured another silver medal in the Gin and Tonic category for the second year running.
Also leading the pack, and no strangers to a trophy or two were the team from Makar Gin – picking up 4 medals at the 
awards.
Makar Original Dry Gin, picked up a ‘Silver – Outstanding’ medal in the Gin & Tonic category and was also awarded a Silver Medal in the London Dry Gin category. Their Makar Mulberry Aged Gin also won a Silver Medal in the Cask Finished category and the ever-popular Makar Oak Aged Gin picked up a Bronze Medal.
The impressive haul takes Makar Gin’s 2018’s award tally up to 22 individual awards, already two more than was awarded in 2017.
Despite being a relatively new entrant to the Scottish Gin market, the Crafty Distillery impressed the judges as their Hills and Harbour Gin was awarded a silver medal.
Caorunn Gin is another highland spirit to have collected a silver medal at the awards in the London Dry Gin category.
Two sought-after medals also went to the Orkney Gin Co, who collected a silver for their Rhubarb Old Tom and a bronze for Mikklemass. This is another Scottish distillery who will be needing a bigger trophy cabinet soon!
The team at Boe Gin will be clearing some space in their display cabinet after a very impressive haul at the awards. They received a gold for their Boe Scottish Bramble Gin Liqueur, silver medals for their violet Gin and peach and Hibiscus Liqueur and bronze for Boe Gin.
The makers of Aberdeenshire gin The Teasmith were also over the moon to have brought home two IWSC medals, scooping a Bronze in the Gin ‘Contemporary’ category and a Silver for ‘Gin & Tonic’.
Highland distillery Pixel Spirits received two accolades (silver and bronze) for their Devil’s Staircase Highland Spiced Gin.
And the team at Speyside Distillery also won two gin medals – both expressions of their Byron’s Gin picked up a medal – a silver for the Melancholy Thistle and bronze for the Bird Cherry.
Wild Thyme Spirits was delighted when its Colonsay Gin was also awarded a coveted silver medal, which adds to the young brand’s collection.
And Sea Glass Gin from Deerness Distillery was awarded a Bronze Medal in the London Dry Gin category.
Other Scottish Gin brands who took home medals include Firkin Gin, Leith Gin, Wild Island, Verdant, Edinburgh Gin and Bardowie Gin.
Congratulations
At the Scottish Gin Society, we have long supported Scottish Gin brands and we are exceptionally proud to see so many of them doing so well on the international stage – huge congratulations to all of them from us, it is great to see the Scottish Gin category achieving this sort of global recognition!
