The Bay Gin awarded gold in the London Spirits Competition 2023!
Dunedin Craft Distillers, is the first distillery in New Zealand and one of only a handful worldwide, to produce botanical spirits from surplus bread and bakery products. In April, we won three awards at the 2023 London Spirits Competition. The London Spirits Competition stands apart from other spirits competitions by awarding spirits for their drinkability. Where other competitions focus solely on technical competence and distilling prowess, the London Spirits Competition goes further to evaluate a spirit for its all-around excellence - in the way it tastes, looks, and the value it provides.
The London Spirits Competition 2023
The London Spirits Competition is a respected and influential international spirit competition with a judging panel drawn from leading spirits industry professionals with direct commercial buying responsibility. This establishes the winners to be the preferred choice for on premise trade and you, the consumer. Spirits were judged on the basis of three primary criteria – quality, value, and packaging – and then scored on a 100-point scale. Spirits that scored 90+ points were awarded Gold medals, while spirits that scored 76 to 89 points were awarded Silver medals, whilst Bronze medals were awarded to spirits that scored between 65 and 75 points. The competition's goal is to recognize spirits that are both high in quality and offer value for money.
Dunedin Craft Distillers' Award-Winning Spirits
We had a strong result against a solid global competition and won three awards for our gin and plain spirit.
Gold Medal: Dunedin Craft Distillers' The Bay Gin
The Bay Gin won a gold medal scoring 91 points out of 100. The Bay is a back-to-basics gin and one of our working title gins. Juniper and coriander are macerated in our own base spirit before the final infusion with bay leaf and lemon to create The Bay Gin. Resulting in a complex and herbal gin with a bright citrus finish.
The judges noted it as a “gin with lemon and herbs on the nose, a great mouthfeel, and with flavours of juniper with a long balanced finish.” Equally delicious alone on ice or paired with soda or a dry tonic.
Silver Medal: Dunedin Craft Distillers' Dunedin Dry Gin
Our Dunedin Dry Gin won a silver medal at the London Spirits Competition 2023 scoring 80 points out of 100. The judges noted it as “a gin with flavours and aromas of orange, coriander, and spice on nose and palate with a smooth texture and balanced finish.”
Silver Medal: Dunedin Craft Distillers' Naked Spirit
The Naked Spirit also took home a silver medal scoring 77 points. Our Naked Spirit is unique and rare in that it is hard to find a crafted direct-to-consumer plain spirit. Calling it plain or naked is a bit of a misnomer as it is incredibly clear and smooth with vanilla notes and a buttery finish. The judges took this a step forward and noted it as ‘an arrack with flavours and aromas of anise, liquorice, honey and yeast on the nose and palate with a smooth delicate finish.”
What Makes Dunedin Craft Distillers' Spirits Stand Out?
We believe our gin and spirit stood out for several reasons. First and foremost, our base spirit (The Naked Spirit) is made from scratch and crafted with care and attention to detail using traditional distillery methods in our own copper still, allowing us to create a unique and authentic flavour profile. Rather than buying in a product from a third party we small-batch brew and distill from surplus bread otherwise designated for the landfill. This unique process is a testament to our commitment to quality and innovation in the spirits industry. If you haven't tried any of our spirits yet, we highly recommend that you do. Cheers!
