The national awards programme for Scottish Gin has announced its 2023 line up and is now open for entries.
The Scottish Gin Awards is the biggest event of its kind in the industry and celebrates the individuals and teams working hard to produce Scotland’s world leading gins.
The full programme of dates and 20 categories have now been revealed for the awards which culminates in an awards celebration event in November; the largest trade event for the gin industry in Scotland.
Now in its 7th year, the Scottish Gin Awards has cemented its reputation as a high quality and rigorously audited taste and business competition.
Independent sensory experts are now preparing to serve over 1500 samples of approximately 250 gins in strict conditions. Samples are served, tasted and marked live on one day with an awards team auditing the data and processing results to reveal the three highest scoring gins in each category.
Around 30 gin industry professionals participate in the tasting and will choose their winners in 11 style categories including London Dry, Distilled and Flavoured gins. The results are kept a closely guarded secret until the event in November.
Chair of the judging panel Adam Hardie, Head of Food and Drink at Johnston Carmichael Business Advisers oversees the business judging. He commented:
“The Scottish Gin Awards provides a fantastic platform for the industry to celebrate and showcase success. Now in its seventh year, and in a tough economic climate, taking time to and support each other has never been more important. As the bar continues to be raised, we look forward to judging the best tasting gins and the best gin distillers in Scotland.”
Entrants have until Thursday 6th July 2023 to prepare and make their submissions. For help and advice on entries contact pippa@kdmedia.co.uk or sophie@kdmedia.co.uk.
The Business Categories
· Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year
· Best New Product of the Year
· Gin Tourist Destination of the Year
· Ready to Drink Product of the Year
· Excellence in Packaging
· Excellence in Branding
· Excellence in Sustainability
· Product Development of the Year
· Gin Retailer of the Year
The Taste Categories
· London Dry Gin of the Year
· Distilled Gin of the Year
· High Strength Gin of the Year (40% or above)
· Flavoured Gin of the Year
· Citrus Flavoured Gin of the Year
· Herb & Spice Flavoured Gin of the Year
· Pink Gin of the Year
· Old Tom Gin of the Year
· Gin Liqueur of the Year
· Festive Flavoured Gin of the Year
· Cask Gin of the Year
The Scottish Gin Awards takes place on Wednesday 8 November 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Glasgow.
The awards continue their commitment to charity and have raised over £20,000 since launching in 2016. This year the programme supports The BEN, the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland.
