IWSC reveals shortlist for its Spirits Distributor of the Year award

The IWSC Spirits Distributor of the Year award is sponsored by Karuizawa Distillers.

Each year the IWSC recognises individual drinks, awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to wines, wine-based drinks, spirits, low & no alternatives, RTDs and ciders. Looking beyond our tasting awards, the IWSC also recognises the creativity of the companies bringing these drinks to the customer. The businesses that import or distribute these bottles are distinguished by our Business Awards.

The Spirits Distributor of the Year was created to recognise the wholesale, import and distribution businesses leading the way in bringing consumers their favourite drinks. With recent obstacles, not limited to Brexit, shipping hiccups and covid, the businesses recognised for this award are having to find a new way of working in an ever-changing and increasingly competitive industry.

This year, this award was our most contested Business Award. Following much deliberation, our esteemed judging panel comprising journalist and broadcaster David Kermode, brand consultant Eddie Ludlow, spirits buyer Ivan Dixon and the IWSC’s Commercial Manager & Spirits Brand Ambassador, Sam Cooklin-Smith, shortlisted the below entrants.

The IWSC is delighted to reveal our 2022 shortlist for its Spirits Distributor of the Year award:

Mangrove


Mangrove were pioneering in bringing ECO Spirits technology to the UK on-trade.

A dynamic business which used the removal of Brown Forman’s distribution to refocus its portfolio, the judges all agreed the Mangrove range had it all – a great variety of styles and price points, making it a quality one-stop shop for premium liqueurs and spirits. 

Showcasing a real awareness of the latest trends and building a genuinely interesting portfolio, our judges felt Mangrove had really upped the ante over the past year.

Bringing ecoSPIRITS to the UK last summer, Mangrove is not just talking the sustainability talk, it has created a real opportunity for its customers to reduce their carbon footprint and revolutionise the way bars use spirits.

There is much excitement around what is going on behind the scenes at Mangrove and with plans afoot to further expand the team, our judges felt this was a very strong entry.

Speciality Drinks

Without a doubt, Speciality Drinks is a company that really knows its stuff: heralded for the way it constantly over-delivers for its customers, as well as pioneering smaller regions and helping to put various categories on the map.

Stand-out activations for Speciality Drinks included its humane approach to its customers during lockdown, sending out wellbeing packs to its on-trade clients. The company quickly pivoted its business to offer on-trade customers an off-trade channel through which to sell cocktail kits by teaming up with sister company, The Whisky Exchange.

Beyond putting its customers first, it is clear the company really looks after its people, and they in turn exhibit a real passion for the business and a generosity in sharing their knowledge and experience.

A quality range of great brands, Speciality Drinks should be proud to hear our judges referring to them as offering the complete package

Spirit Cartel

Clearly doing something right, Spirit Cartel have been the winners of this award twice already. An edgy and fun business, which tries, and succeeds in being a bit more tongue in cheek than their competitors, our judges really like the way the business communicates to its customers as well as the wider industry.

Viewed as a business that never stands still, and a real innovator of the trade, Spirit Cartel is taking a different approach to the way it does things.  Praised for creating enjoyable activations for their customers, including a 30-day rum tour with Ian Burrell which reached over 200 bartenders across the country.

Working with producers to minimise the environmental impact in terms of energy used for its brands – the company recently shared the news its Spirited Union Botanical Rum was reducing the weight of its bottles by 31%.

A quality portfolio with new listings including premium RTDs and Irish whiskey, plus a real drive for cognac and mezcal. Spirit Cartel is a smart business and a worthy addition to our 2022 Spirits Distributor of the Year shortlist.

Ten Locks

Ten Locks may be a comparative newcomer to the scene, compared to our other shortlisters, but they are definitely one to watch.

Launched in 2020 in what could potentially have been the most disastrous of times, the amount this spirit specialist has achieved in so short a space of time is impressive.

Our judges were impressed Ten Locks had become such a successful business in an incredibly brief time of trading. They have done a great job of establishing an impressive and tight portfolio, firmly establishing themselves as ones to watch.

The winner of the IWSC’s Spirits Distributor of the Year award, sponsored by Karuizawa Distillers, will be announced on Monday 11 April.