The London Competitions for wines, beers and spirits were created to identify drinks that not only demonstrate exceptional quality but also offer consumers genuine value for money, supported by stand out branding, packaging and design. Those are the criteria that the judging panel, made up of leading beer, wine and spirits buyers, bartenders, sommeliers, distributors, retailers and hospitality professionals, use to pick out the brands they believe have the most chance of success in the competitive premium on and off-trade drinks markets.
Once the medals have been awarded the team behind the London Competitions then gets to work to help promote and push the brands in their key markets with a dedicated PR campaign.
London Spirits Competition 2026: Global press impact
Here are the top line figures to show the impact the PR campaign had on the winning brands in the 2026 London Spirits Competition, in particular, that it hopes demonstrates how effective it can be as part of a brand’s overall international marketing strategy.
Media exposure that can help drive visibility amongst its key consumers, retailers, importers, distributors, hospitality buyers in their key markets around the world.
2026 Press Coverage Highlights
- Over 100 media articles and features published globally.
- Coverage generated across more than 25 countries.
- Featured in leading consumer, trade and business publications.
- Coverage appeared in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.
- Winners and category champions received dedicated media features.
- Multiple Forbes articles highlighted category winners and special award recipients.
- Coverage secured in major outlets including The Times, Forbes, MSN, Food & Wine, PR Newswire, TrendHunter, The Buyer, The Whiskey Wash, BevNet, Denver Post, Hotelier India, The Wire, Fiji Village, Norfolk Daily News, Vinetur, EMOL and many more.
- Special award winners received extensive international exposure through targeted category stories.
- Whisky, Bourbon, Japanese Whisky, Indian Whisky, Rum and Pisco categories generated particularly strong media interest.
- Competition results were distributed through both consumer-facing and trade-focused media channels.
- Winning brands leveraged London Spirits Competition results in their own PR, marketing and social media campaigns, further extending reach and awareness.
An example of the coverage received in The Shout magazine in Australia and New Zealand
The Shout (Australia and New Zealand): Kiwi gin wins at the International London Spirits Competition 2026
Global recognition through independent media
One of the strongest indicators of a competition's influence is the level of independent media coverage generated by its winners.
Forbes alone has published multiple stories featuring London Wine, Beer and Spirits Competition winners, with spirits articles, in particular, on the World's Best Single Malt, World's Best Bourbon, Best Japanese Whisky, Best Indian Whisky and overall Whiskey of the Year winners.
Forbes (USA) –The World's Best Bourbon — According To The 2026 London Spirits Competition
Below is a list of some recent media coverage generated by London Spirits Competition winners across trade media, consumer publications, regional news outlets and producer communications around the world.
Some examples of media coverage generated by London Spirits Competition winners include:
- Forbes (US) – The World's Best Single Malt — According To The 2026 London Spirits Competition.
- Forbes (US) – The World's Best Bourbon — According To The 2026 London Spirits Competition.
- Forbes (US) – The Best Japanese Whiskies According To The London Spirits Competition 2026.
- Forbes (US) – The Best Indian Whiskies From The London Spirits Competition 2026.
- Forbes (US) – The World's Best Whiskey — According To The 2026 London Spirits Competition.
- Food & Wine (US) – This $45 Whiskey Is The 2026 Straight Bourbon Of The Year.
- The Buyer (United Kingdom) – Winners Announced In London Wine And Spirits Competitions 2026.
- The Buyer (United Kingdom) – The Brands That Have Tasted Success Thanks To The London Spirits Competition.
- Craft Irish Whiskey Co. (Ireland) – The Donn Named Best Single Malt In The World.
- Rum Co. Of Fiji (Fiji) – BATI And RATU Rums Win 11 Medals.
- Piccadily Distillery (India) – Piccadily Distillery Secures Top Honours Across Global Competitions.
- ABD Maestro (India) – ABD Maestro Wins Big At London Spirits Competition.
- Tilaknagar Industries (India) – House Of TI Wins Four Awards.
- Sentari (India) – Sentari Barrel-Aged Cashew Feni Wins Gold.
- Jin Jiji (India) – Jin Jiji India Dry Gin Clinches Top Honours.
- D'YAVOL (India) – D’YAVOL VORTEX Named Blended Scotch Of The Year.
- Cierto Tequila (Mexico) – Cierto Named Tequila Producer Of The Year.
- Chilean Media (Chile) – Chilean Pisco Wins World's Best Spirit Recognition.
- Callington Mill Distillery (Australia) – Single Malt Whisky Of The Year Recognition.
- New Zealand Media (New Zealand) – Kiwi Gin Wins International Recognition.
- Scotland Food & Drink (Scotland) – Scotland Gin Wins Best Spirit Award.
- NDTV Food (India) – Indian Brands Shine At London Spirits Competition.
Creating awareness key export markets
In all the 2026 London Spirits Competition resulted in over 125 separate press articles around the world with a key focus on coverage in Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania and South America.
As the competition continues to attract brands to enter from a wider pool of countries it widens the scope of the awards and raises its profile in key markets. The 2026 awards, for example, were particularly successful in terms of media coverage for brands entering from India, Ireland, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Fiji and New Zealand.
All of whom have benefited from additional media coverage, distributor interest, retailer conversations and consumer awareness across multiple markets.
View the press stories here.
Why This Coverage Matters
Sid Patel, founder of the London Competitions for wines, beers and spirts sets out why it puts so much focus on promoting the winners and maximising the media coverage it can get for the producers and brand owners.
Sid Patel founder of London Competitions at this year's judging in Lonon
He says: “For the winning producers a medal is not simply an award. It is a third-party endorsement that can be used to support sales, marketing and export growth. It can help build credibility with importers and distributors. Support retail and hospitality sales presentations. Create content for websites, newsletters and social media. Increase consumer confidence in their brands and most importantly differentiate their products in such a competitive market.”
The more media coverage the awards get it also helps the credibility and reach of the London Spirits Competition itself - which is also the same for the London Wine and London Beer competitions.
How to make the most of 10 year anniversary of London Competitions
Entries are now open for the 2027 London Spirits, London Wine and London Beer Competitions in what promises to be an important year for the awards. Patel says he is particularly keen for producers and brands that have succeeded in previous years to mark their success by taking part in the 2027 awards and using that as a way to further highlight their success.
As he says: “Over the last ten years, the London Competitions have become one of the most respected judging platforms in the industry by evaluating products on the three factors that matter most to consumers and buyers: quality; value; and packaging. For our 10th edition, we are raising the bar even further with a stronger judging panel, more buyer participation, greater transparency and more actionable feedback for every entrant.”
What's New For The 10th Edition for our past entrants?
More buyer-led feedback
Every product entered will now receive two additional structured feedback sections from judges:
- How to improve this product.
- How to market and sell this product.
These insights are designed to help wine, beer and spirits brands understand not only how their products performed, but how they can strengthen their market position and improve commercial success.
Greater judge transparency
Entrants will be able to see the judges who evaluated their products. This additional transparency gives producers greater confidence in the evaluation process and a clearer understanding of the industry professionals behind their scores.
* You can find out more and enter the London Spirits Competition here.
* You can find out more and enter the London Wine Competition here.
* You can find our more about enter the London Beer Competition here.
