A Silver Lining for Smugglers Raspberry Gin: The Scottish Gin Awards 2023
Last night we attended the Scottish Gin Awards ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Here's how we got on!
A total of four nominations for Smugglers Spirits included our Raspberry and Strawberry gins in the flavoured gin category, our zesty Smugglers Orange Gin in the Citrus gin category, and a business nomination for best packaging - a nod to our beautiful labels!
The evening got underway with a drinks reception where we got to taste some incredible gins, some of them also up for awards. One of the highlights was the scrumptious 3 course meal - almost as tasty as the gin!
Rubbing shoulders with other small distilleries and brands from all over Scotland was a real treat. The flawlessly decorated room was packed full of distillers, drinks marketers and brand ambassadors, and we all brought our passion for Scottish Gin along with us!
Then to the main moment: the awards themselves.
The winners in each taste category were ranked bronze, silver and gold. And as silver was announced in the flavoured gin category, we were elated to see the image of our very own Raspberry Gin up on the big screen! It had been up against some heavy hitters: our own Smugglers Strawberry Gin, Caorunn, Edinburgh Gin, Lanark Distillery, Linlithgow Distillery, Peebles Hydro, and The Wee Farm Distillery (shout out to their new Alpacas). Gold went very deservedly to Lanark Distillery, who we had the pleasure of sitting next to, for their Corra Linn Handcrafted Scottish Raspberry Gin. Congrats again guys!
This silver award tops off a successful 2023 for our flavoured gins. The handcrafted, small batch Raspberry and Orange flavours bagged bronze awards at the World Gin Awards in January, where our Strawberry Gin got the main prize - a gold medal and the title of Best Scottish Flavoured Gin! All our flavours celebrate the natural taste and colours of Scottish botanicals - their gin forward, earthy flavours and subtle, elegant fruity notes have shown to be a hit with gin lovers.
With Christmas just around the corner, this Scottish Gin Award win says: Smugglers Raspberry Gin is definitely no gamble when it comes to gifts for the gin lover in your life!
Give the gift of award-winning gin.
The entire evening - which KD Media did a delightful job organising - was a pleasure to attend. It was so special to be in the running alongside such fantastic representatives of the Scottish gin industry!
Big congratulations to all the winners and finalists - each one brought something unique to the table, contributing to a fabulous night celebrating our collective love for gin.
As a small Scottish gin brand, we're humbled and grateful for the Silver award. Cheers to exciting new adventures with our flavoured gins and beyond!