The London Spirits Competition results are announced on the same day as the winners in the London Wine Competition (click here for the highlights on The Buyer) and London Beer Competition.
Some of the UK’s top bartenders and spirits buyers came together last month at London’s St Mary’s Church in Marylebone to sniff, swirl and taste their way through all the entries in this year’s London Spirits Competition.
Facing them was a vast array of products illustrating the diversity of the global spirits category with entries from all over the world. Perhaps surprisingly Australia was the biggest country to enter, with 367 products, followed by 303 entries from the UK and 138 from the United States. Gin was by far the top top category with 695 entries followed by rum and whisky.
All the judges for the 2023 London Spirits Competition
The London Spirits Competition prides itself on the quality of its judges, made up of a some of the leading bartender talent in the UK where the majority of the panels are made up with professionals with direct spirits buying experience and responsibilities. This year the line up included drinks consultant Ivan Dixon of Procera Gin, Harvey Nichols’ spirits and beer buyer, Bryan Rodriguez, bar owner and industry consultant Salvatore Calabrese, director of mixology at the Donovan bar Federico Pavan, Soho House’s Diana Aladzic, Electrics House bars manager, Emilia Wrelton, Duke’s Hotel head bartender, Enrico Chaippini, Michal Fink, bar manager at One Hundred Shoreditch and Minas Kotoulas, head of bars at Brasserie Zedel to name but a few.
“The London Spirits Competition is becoming more widely known in the trade with each passing year, and as a result we are receiving an increased number of entries,” said Sid Patel, chief executive of Beverage Trade Network, which owns and manages the three London Competition events for wines, beers and spirits.
“I am pleasantly surprised at the increased number of entries this year as the pandemic resulted in many drinks companies putting their NPD on hold and focusing on their core operations instead. This is just testament to the increasingly good reputation of the competition as word spreads in the industry that we offer something a bit different from other events.”
Judges reaction
Cristiana Pirinu from Donovan Bar and Enrico Chiappini from Dukes Hotel take part in this year’s judging.
The Duke’s Hotel head bartender, Enrico Chiappini, said the quality of spirits entered this year was “high compared to last year,” with a bigger diversity in terms of the number of countries entering.
For many of the judges, the standout category this year was the low and no alcohol sector. “There are now so many great low and no alcohol products out there,” said Matteo Torresin, head bartender at the Artists’s Bar at the Dorchester Hotel. “The way they mimic the spirits is really impressive. Seedlip was one of the first along with Lyres, and now there are so many more. It’s really interesting to see how popular they have become.”
He particularly liked a non-alcoholic version of a sweet vermouth, which he thought would make the perfect no alcohol Negroni. The trend for no and low spirits is very much what he is seeing at the Dorchester.
Giusy Castaldo, bartender at Mayfair-based Kwant Bar, agreed: “Customers are increasingly asking for non-alcoholic drinks, but the biggest increase has been in lower alcohol – people still want to drink, but don’t necessarily want to get drunk, so low abv drinks tick all the boxes.”
Rise in Mezcals
The panel of judges for the 2023 London Spirits Competition
This year’s London Competition also noticed a sharp increase in the number of mezcal entered.Tyriq Pitts bartender at the Coral Bar at the Bloomsbury Hotel said: “We offer a good selection of Mezcals and I think that there used to be a bit of a stigma around it as people said it was too smoky. But we make a Margarita with mezcal rather than tequila which is really popular and visitors are specifically asking for it.”
Mihal Fink, bar manager at One Hundred Shoreditch added: “I’d say that both tequila and mezcal are growing for us, but mezcal is taking over because of the shortage of agave.”
As a judge for the second year running, he said he had discovered a selection of spirits he would consider listing, including an “amazing” rum from the US, while the low and no alcohol entrants impressed him with their quality.
Quality, value and design
The winning spirits are judged on their quality, value for money and packaging and design
The judges not only applauded the quality of this year’s entrants, but also felt that the criteria used to judge the competition, where the drinks are assessed on their packaging, design and commercial viability as well as taste was not just a gimmick, but something that gave the awards more credibility and gravitas.
“These factors are really important,” said Pitts. “It’s easy to just focus on the taste and flavour, but at the end of the day if it doesn’t appeal to consumers and doesn’t sell, it’s pointless.”
“One great benefit [of the competition] is that brands are able to advertise themselves to some top industry experts, and get their name known,” continued Pitts. “A lot of these guys have a big following on social media, which can really help a brand gain recognition.”
“For new brands in particular, one of the most important things is to get recognition and visibility,” confirmed Rui Tavares, manager at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall.
“I’ve run a gin bar for over five years and there are a few brands that I’ve never seen before. I’ve discovered an amazing Swedish gin brand I’d like to include on my list, so the competition is a great way to increase awareness in the trade of great new products. And of course, winning an award gives consumers, particularly those who are not very knowledgeable about spirits, more confidence in the brand.”
As for packaging and design, Tavares, who has been a judge at the LSC for the past five years, added: “It’s pretty key as people eat and buy with their eyes, and the more appealing the packaging, the more likely they are to invest in it. I’d say that the majority of our customers know next to nothing about gin, so they are reliant on either our recommendations or how the product looks on the shelf, so from the on-trade point of view, the visual aspect is crucial.
London Spirits Competition Winners 2023
Best in class: Downpour Scottish dry gin won the overall Spirit of the Year
Spirit of the Year: Downpour Scottish Dry Gin by North Uist Distillery at 98 points, United Kingdom.
Distillery of the Year: Virginia Distillery Company, United States.
Best Spirit by Value: Dry As A Nun by Distillers Republic at 95 points, Latvia.
Best Spirit by Quality: Young Henrys Gin And Tonic by Young Henrys Brewing and Distilling Company at 97 points, Australia.
Best Spirit by Packaging: Ukiyo Japanese Rice Vodka by Kirker Greer Spirits at 96 points, Japan.
Vodka of the Year: Ukiyo Japanese Rice Vodka by Kirker Greer Spirits at 96 points, Japan.
Rum of the Year: Bodegas Papiamento Rum Caribbean Carnival by Bodegas Papiamento Aruba at 95 points.
Tequila of the Year: Jaja Tequila by Jaja Spirits at 94 points, Mexico.
Gin of the Year: Downpour Scottish Dry Gin by North Uist Distillery at 98 points , United Kingdom.
Whisky of the Year: Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky by Virginia Distillery Company at 98 points, United States.
Brandy of the Year: Apricot Brandy by Tamborine Mountain Distillery at 96 points, Australia.
Liqueur of the Year: De Kuyper Sour Rhubarb Liqueur by De Kuyper at 92 points, Holland.
Cognac of the Year: Courvoisier Cognac XO Royal by Courvoisier at 95 points, France,
Mezcal of the Year: Defrente by Tequila Defrente at 93 points, Mexico.
RTD of the Year: Young Henrys Gin And Tonic by Young Henrys Brewing and Distilling Company at 97 points, Australia
Non-Alcoholic of the Year: Sober – Whisky 0.0% by Sober Spirits Sas at 92 points, France.,
- View All Winners Here.
- You can find out more about the London Spirits Competition here.
