Winners revealed at Scottish Gin Awards, 2017

The first ever Scottish Gin Awards was held in The Doubletree Hilton, Gasgow on Thursday 14th September.  The venue was packed and the atmostphere was electric for the Scottish Gin event of the year.

The night was kicked off in style with a speech from Stephen White (AKA The Gin Master), founder of The Scottish Gin Societye, headline sponsors of the event.

Stephen praised the Scottish Gin community for continuing to build an industry to rival Scottish Whisky and said of the awards “We’ve worked very hard to establish the credibility, integrity and impartiality of the Scottish Gin Awards and the turnout from the Scottish distillers has reflected the importance in which they already place the programme.  Winning a Scottish Gin Award is a huge opportunity to further the promotion of Scottish gin brands at home, across the UK and abroad.”

The big winners from the evening were Verdant Spirits, who won Gin of The Year in the taste category, Arbikie, who took home the coveted Distillery of the Year, and also Pickering’s Gin and Makar Gin, who each took home two awards.

Despite the tough competition, the evening was a huge celebration of Scottish Gin and an excellent chance for the great and the good of the industry to get together in a warm and friendly atmostphere.

At The Scottish Gin Society, we are extremely proud of our involvement in this wonderful event and look forward to another busy year promoting and furthering the Scottish Gin industry both here and globally.

Full list of winners from the evening:

TASTE CATEGORY

Navy Strength

• Gold: NB Navy Strength Gin
• Silver: Navy Strength Cannonball Gin
• Bronze: Navy Strength Rock Rose Gin

Cask Aged

• Gold: Makar Cask Aged Gin – Matured in Oak
• Silver: Firkin Gin
• Bronze: Cask Aged Kirsty’s Gin

Distilled Gin

• Gold: El:Gin
• Silver: Edinburgh Gin – Valentine’s Gin
• Bronze: Kirkjuvagr Gin

London Dry

• Gold: Verdant Dry Gin
• Silver: Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin
• Bronze: Edinburgh Gin – Seaside Gin

Liqueur

• Gold: Edinburgh Gin – Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur
• Silver: Edinburgh Gin – Plum & Vanilla Liqueur
• Bronze: Gin Bothy Amaretto Infused Liqueur

Speciality Gin

• Gold: Makar Old Tom
• Silver: Persie Sweet & Nutty Old Tom
• Bronze: Eden Mill Hop Gin

Gin of the Year sponsored by Geraldo’s of Largs

• Winner: Verdant Dry Gin

BUSINESS CATEGORY

Growth Business of the Year sponsored by Blackadders

• Winner: Eden Mill
• Highly commended: Dunnet Bay Distillers (Rock Rose)

Excellence in Marketing sponsored by MediaSpark

• Winner: Summerhall Distillery (Pickering’s Gin)

Excellence in Branding sponsored by McLaren Packaging

• Winner: Isle of Harris Distillery (Harris Gin)

Innovation of the Year sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons

• Winner: Summerhall Distillery (Pickering’s Gin Baubles)

Scottish Gin Bar of the Year sponsored by TLT Solicitors

• Winner: 56 North
• Highly commended: One Square

Scottish Gin Event of the Year sponsored by Blue Parrot Company

• Winner: Juniper Gin Festivals and Events

Scottish Gin Destination of the Year sponsored by Barr Printers

• Winner: Caorunn Balmenach Distillery, Grantown on Spey

Scottish Distillery of the Year sponsored by The Scottish Gin Society

• Winner: Arbikie Distilling