Craft distiller, Adnams triumphs in the Gin category at the 44th International Wine & Spirit Competition

• Adnams Copper House Distilled Gin wins prestigious Gin Trophy
• Five other Adnams spirits awarded medals

Adnams, the Suffolk-based brewer and distiller, has won the prestigious Gin Trophy at this year’s International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), less than three years after its Copper House Distillery first opened its doors.

Judges at the IWSC, one of the world’s most respected spirits competitions, awarded Adnams’ Copper House Distilled Gin the top honour after already commending it with a Gold Outstanding Medal. This year saw a record number of entries into the Gin category. An IWSC judge described the spirit as “a creamy, sweetly-spiced satisfying gin that is inviting and engaging. It’s ample, bold and complex with well-balanced notes of cardamom, nutmeg and bark. A beautifully crafted example.”

The Gin Trophy, topped off a plethora of awards for Adnams’ spirits this year, with the Suffolk distillery scooping a whole host of other medals at the same competition.  Adnams also won a gold medal for its Spirit of Broadside, an Eau de Vie de Biere, silver medals for its First Rate Gin, Absinthe Verte and Absinthe Rouge, and a bronze medal for its Copper House Barley Vodka.

Jonathan Adnams, Chairman of Adnams, commented: “We are thrilled to have been recognised with such a prestigious award at this international competition. It is only three years since we built the Copper House Distillery in the heart of the Adnams brewery and we have worked extremely hard to create world-class products for our customers. These awards, in particular, the coveted Gin Trophy, really mark the success we have achieved in such a short period of time.“

Anna Grant, Head of Sales & Marketing, IWSC Group Ltd said: “We at the International Wine & Spirit Competition are delighted with Adnams’ Copper House Distillery’s success in the 2013 Competition. With entries up 20% into the Gin category (making this a record year for Gin), the competition was fiercer than ever for the coveted Gin Trophy. The win is a great tribute to local, handcrafted spirits and to Adnams for their innovative approach to distilling.”

Adnams’ Copper House Gin is an aromatic gin with classic notes of juniper alongside sweet orange and hibiscus flowers. Using the grain to glass approach, the Copper House gin is distilled from East Anglian malted barley.

Other winners at the Competition included Buffalo Trace Distillery who picked up the inaugural Bourbon Trophy for their Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon 10 YO Whiskey and Asbach, who won the Worldwide Brandy Trophy for their Asbach Private Brand 8 Jahre Gerdeift, their win marks the first time a German distillery has triumphed in this category since its introduction in 1984.

UK Supermarket own labels also found success, with Lidl’s 6 Year Old, Western Gold Bourbon Whiskey, awarded the Competition’s top medal honour, a Gold Outstanding Award. Meanwhile, Aldi won 2 Gold medals from the independent judging panel for their Glen Marnoch Single Malt Scotch (18 Year Old) and Highland Black Blended Scotch Whisky (8 Year Old).