There are ever more Gin competitions. In the footsteps of the wave of Gin expansion, we see the proliferation of contests dedicated entirely to Gin, and more attention on the older pre-existing contests.
The Scottish Gin Awards is one of the new ones, it was created this year.
The winners were revealed last week on the 14^th of September.
In a contest in which, naturally, only Scottish Gins participate, the big winners were Verdant Dry Gin, elected the best Gin in the category of London Dry, and Arbikie Distilling, distinguished as the distillery of the year. These winners were surprising given their youth – Verdant Gin only arrived on the market in May.
Divided into various categories, here are the winners from that night:
Distillery: Arbikie Distilling
Best Gin in contest: Verdant Dry Gin
London Dry Gin: Verdant Dry Gin
Distilled Gin: El Gin
Navy Strength Gin: NB Gin Navy Strength
Cask (Barrel Aged): Makar Cask Aged
Special Edition: Makar Old Tom
Gin Liqueur: Edinburgh Gin - Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur
Business: Eden Mill
Marketing: Summerhall Distillery
Brand: Isle of Harris Distillery
Innovation: Summerhall Distillery
Bar: 56 North
Event: Juniper Gin Festivals
Gin Destination: Caorunn Balmenach Distillery

Consult the complete list of winners and nominees at: http://www.scottishginawards.co.uk/winners-2017/.

Can a whiskey aficionado create a great gin? Yes, he can. And the phenomenon is not as uncommon as you may think. There are already several cases in which large whiskey houses produce high quality gins. In this particular one, Alex Nicol was the marketing director of Glenmorangie, and lover of the brand products. Nothing leads us to believe that the passion has diminished but the truth is that today he has a greater passion, his distillery - Spencerfield Spirit Company - and in particular his gin - Edinburgh. Alex’s Edinburgh Gin is a British London Dry with a Scottish soul. Like the majority of its type, it’s junipery and citrus but with the unique touch of the inhospitable northern lands. The heather, pine needles or milk thistle punctuate the palate of this gin, bringing you the clear freshness of pine and a touch somewhere between herbal and floral from the local botanicals. The Edinburgh Gin is a result of a partnership with the Herriot Watt University, one of the few academic institutes which has in its portfolio a completely dedicated distillation course. The brand has now developed several references like the new Cannonball Navy Strenght and gin liquors made with several botanicals from the Scottish region.