Lancaster business wins two international awards for its gin

Lancaster Spirits Co, based at Lancaster leisure Park in Wyresdale Road, was presented with the awards at the seventh annual London Spirits Competition for their gin, Firecracker, and their debut flavoured gin, Raspberry and Rose.

Judges gathered late last month in London’s Marylebone to sniff, swirl and taste their way through a vast array of gins, vodkas and whiskies, as well as a range of more unusual spirits to identify this year’s medal winners.

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This year more than 2,000 spirits were entered into the awards from 80 countries around the globe including the UK, USA, New Zealand, Mexico, Lithuania and France. A total of 520 products alone were entered into the gin category, making it the largest category to be judged.

Each product submitted was judged by an illustrious panel of judges featuring some of the world’s leading figures from the hospitality and drinks sectors including Ivan Dixon, Forray Andras, Michele Becatti, Aurelie Montana Luca Ponte and Marco Stella.

What sets the London Spirits Competition apart is its judging process. It goes beyond blind tasting to determine medal winners. First, judges evaluate the spirits’ label, design and packaging, assigning a portion of the score based on visual appeal, storytelling effectiveness and how well the brand's overall presentation aligns with its price point and perceived value for money.

However, the judges also pay particular attention to the quality of the spirit itself, the deciding factor in each individual product’s overall final score.

After the judges’ deliberations, Lancaster Spirit Co’s Firecracker was presented with a silver award and Raspberry & Rose collected a bronze award.

“Winning a silver award for Firecracker and bronze in the London Spirits Competition is brilliant news,” said Gemma Carradice, Lancaster Spirits Co Senior Manager.

"We’ve won a total of six international awards for our spirits since launching in late 2022. Our range now includes two vodkas, a premium gin and two flavoured gins with more products to be added shortly.

"As one of only a handful of grain to glass distilleries in the UK we’re making great progress in what we do and how we go about doing it, and these awards wins are testament to that and as a result mean a lot to the entire team.’’

The company is also happy to report that work is well under way on the creation of the next stage of the distillery’s developing story.

After significant investment and months of construction work, the Lancaster based company has now added a bespoke pot still and storage facility to the grain-to-glass distillery's facilities – The Whisky Rack.

This specialist building will produce, house and age cask whisky. The building is an essential part of ensuring a quality product produced using water from an ancient Bowland aquifer, a 200-year-old Lancastrian yeast and the finest barley malts, and ultimately infused with delicate flavours and aromas from ‘1st fill’ bourbon oak casks.

The new Whisky Rack will house hundreds of wooden casks, each carefully stored to maximise the evolutionary maturation process all the while gaining more flavour, aroma, and body. In due course The Whisky Rack will play host to a wide range of events, including distillery tours and tastings.