The national celebration for the booming Scottish gin industry has revealed a clutch of new sponsorship deals in advance of its third annual event in Glasgow.

The Scottish Gin Awards welcomes the iconic British tonic brand Schweppes to the line-up which now includes 12 sponsors as investors in the programme widely regarded as a credible and trusted barometer of the best tasting gins and performing businesses in Scotland.

Schweppes join Halewood Wines & Spirits, MacRoberts and The Gin Cooperative as new sponsors to this year’s competition which also welcomes returning sponsors including Vetroelite, Aldi and Rankin Brothers & Sons.

73 million bottles of gin were sold in the UK in 2018 with the category now valued at over £2 billion.  Scotland boasts over 300 gin products and is home to more than 100 Scottish gin brands.

The Scottish Gin Awards has become the UK’s largest gin industry celebration for distillers, producers and supplier businesses with over 700 guests attending the awards celebration every year. The competition which covers a range of business and taste categories progressed 65 companies and 117 gins, all distilled in Scotland, to the final stage of the competition.

Paul Grace, GB&I Marketing Director – Mixers Portfolio for Schweppes commented;

“We’re really proud to sponsor this year’s Scottish Gin Awards which recognises and rewards the best of Scotland’s exciting and ever-growing gin industry. We’re excited to see all the finalists and wish them the very best of luck.”

8 gold medals will be presented to the gins which scored the highest marks during a blind tasting session judged by 20 expert judges from across the UK.   A further 16 awards will be presented for silver and bronze positions as well as the coveted Gin of the Year award.  10 awards will also be presented for business performance in areas including branding, marketing and export.

The event will culminate in the announcement of the top award of the night for Scottish Gin Distillery of the Year.  Four distilleries have been selected as finalists; Crafty Scottish Distillers, Dunnet Bay Distillers (Rock Rose), Edinburgh Gin and McQueen Gin.

Tables are now available to book at the event which takes place on Thursday 10th October at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Glasgow and can be booked here.

Limited sponsorship opportunities are available, please contact maxine@kdmedia.co.uk for further details or call KDMedia on 0131 337 6232.