Visitor Attraction of the Year

Philadelphia Distilling

Bluecoat Gin pays homage to Philadelphia’s former status as a “workshop of the world” and to the so-called Bluecoats who took up arms against British rule in America ahead of the Revolutionary War. Philadelphia Distilling has put its own “revolutionary” processes on display for visitors on its distillery tours, which also offer the chance to taste the Bluecoat family of gins.

Highly Commended

City of Manchester Distillery Gin Experience

Craft Producer of the Year

Sponsored by Wade Ceramics

Audemus Spirits

From its flagship product Pink Pepper Gin, French producer Audemus has expanded its range in weird and wonderful directions to great acclaim. Along with many enticing limited-edition gins, its portfolio also includes the cognac-based Covert Liqueur, contemporary aperitif Sepia Amer, and Umami Spirit made with Italian capers and parmesan cheese. Production takes place in distiller Miko’s living room in Cognac, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to the small-batch approach.

Highly Commended

YVY Destilaria

Brand Innovator of the Year

Sponsored by WestRock

Adnams

After making a name for itself in beer, East of England brewer Adnams turned its hand to distilling and has since built up a portfolio of brands which push the boundaries. Look to its Rising Sun Gin, made with Japanese matcha tea, its triple-malted vodka and whisky, or its Spirit of Broadside, distilled from the popular Suffolk ale. It has also made a splash in the ready-to-drink gin market.

Highly Commended

Hayman’s Gin

Distiller of the Year

Sponsored by Hrastnik1860

Adelaide Hills Distillery

Former winemaker Sacha La Forgia pledged to put Australian produce at the heart of his spirits when he founded Adelaide Hills Distillery in 2014. His flagship product, 78° Gin, used a variety of locally sourced ingredients and earned him a reputation for producing top-notch small-batch gin. The distillery’s current product range, which includes vermouths and the sell-out Native Grain Whisky, showcases its evolution as a spirit producer.

Highly Commended

Aviation American Gin

Sustainable Distillery of the Year

Cape Byron Distillery

Pam and Martin Brook built sustainability into their distillery from the ground up. After buying the site in 1988 they planted 35,000 subtropical rainforest trees, which now provide botanicals for their Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin as well as a haven for wildlife. The distillery is also a supporter of Big Scrub Landcare, which maintains what is left of the Big Scrub rainforest area in which it sits.

Highly Commended

Adnams

Communications Agency of the Year

Ally
Creative PR & Marketing

Based in Athens, Greece, Ally provides PR and marketing solutions for clients through business consulting and mentoring, creative content, social media strategy, corporate social responsibility and “green” marketing. Its broad roster of clients includes spirits companies and other food and drink brands.

Highly Commended

Brazen PR

Gin Bar Group of the Year

The Botanist

With locations around the UK from Birmingham to Newcastle, The Botanist bars bring together creative cocktails, hearty food menus and regular live music. The group encourages visitors to its bars to explore a secret garden of food and drink, where its “botanists” have foraged high and low to curate a host of food and drink delights. For the more horticulturally minded visitor, cocktail masterclasses are available.

Highly Commended

London Cocktail Club

Gin Bar of the Year

Barber Shop
Sydney

Proving that you can do two things well simultaneously, this venue combines barber shop and cocktail bar and remains a crowd-pleaser. Opened in 2013, the bar – hidden behind the York Street barber’s shop – boasts a selection of more than 700 gins and a cocktail range including signature sips and gin “flights”. Even the food menu is punctuated with
gin-laced creations.

Highly Commended

Bitter and Twisted Cocktail Parlour
Phoenix AZ

Gin Hotel Bar of the Year

The American Bar
The Savoy

The carefully curated selection of gins at The Savoy’s American Bar ensures a top-quality sip, whether in one of its signature cocktails or in a classic serve with tonic. Head bartender, Maxim Schulte, is the force behind its latest cocktail collection, The Savoy Songbook, which reimagines classic hits in the form of lip-smacking libations.

Highly Commended

Little Rituals, Residence Inn by Marriott
Phoenix AZ

Online Retailer of the Year

31Dover
www.31dover.com

Created by the founders of Vanquish Wines and drinks distributor to London’s top on-trade venues, 31Dover is the UK’s fastest-growing online drinks retailer. With industry expertise and strength behind it, the retailer’s virtual shelves are carefully curated and every bottle is tried and tested to receive the 31Dover seal of approval.

Highly Commended

Master of Malt
www.masterofmalt.com

Multiple Outlets Retailer of the Year

Binny’s

Founded in Chicago in 1948, Binny’s Beverage Depot is the Midwest’s largest wine, spirits and beer superstore. The family firm has 42 locations in Illinois serving up more than 30,000 products in-store and online. As well as beverage sales, Binny’s publishes cocktails recipes, runs product “hotlines” and organises events such as Bourbon Women Night.

Highly Commended

Drinkmonger

Single Outlet Retailer of the Year

Billington’s of Lenzie

This delicatessen and eatery in Lenzie, Scotland serves up a range of homemade, artisan and locally sourced produce including beer, wines and spirits. Its selection of more than 100 gins is a celebration of Scottish distillers, with products such as Eden Mill gins from St Andrews, Glasgow Gin and Rock Rose, as well as two house gins.

Highly Commended

Batch 13 DC

Supermarket of the Year

Lidl GB

As it rides a wave of increasing popularity in the UK, the budget retailer is ensuring that its product ranges keep up with the expectations of its growing pool of shoppers. Its range of own-branded spirits, including whisky, gin and vodka, has stayed effectively up-to-date with spirits trends and as such has proved a hit with consumers and industry.

Highly Commended

Waitrose

Travel Retailer of the Year

DFS
Changi

This airport retailer offers a selection of some of the world’s most premium wines and spirits across a range of locations. Choose from Johnny Walker Red Label Scotch, Hennessy XO Grand Champagne, Camus L’Elegant, Chivas Regal, Martell Cordon Bleu and Absolut Vodka among a host of other well-known names.

Highly Commended

World Duty Free

Own Brand Supermarket of the Year

Lidl GB

Lidl’s range of own-branded gins spans the current direction of the gin trend that we see growing in the UK, showing a supermarket with its finger on the pulse. While many would be struck by the low prices offered both in-store and online, the gins available also deliver great quality.

Bartender of the Year

Dale Kyd
The Gin Room, St Louis 

Engineer-turned-bartender Dale Kyd developed his passion for hospitality as a college student, but his first trip to The Gin Room was a game-changer. Since being offered a job at the St Louis venue by legendary owner Natasha Bahrami, he hasn’t looked back and has dedicated himself to furthering both the bar and his bartending skillset.

Highly Commended

Giorgio Bargiani
Connaught Bar, London

Bar Manager of the Year

Christophe Rossi
L’Escamoteur, Kyoto

Travelling to Japan from France via India, Christophe spent 10 years pursuing his passion as a magician before discovering mixology. He was trained by two of the sector’s top professionals before opening L’Escamoteur (roughly translated as The Illusionist). Based on a fin-de-siècle “magician’s house”, Christophe’s venue specialises in gin and whisky-based cocktails and has developed an international fan base.

Highly Commended

Paul Minea
The Leafy Elephant, Wokingham

Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year

Alison Dinnie
Cotswolds Distillery

Alison has looked after the distillery shop and tours programme at Cotswolds Distillery since 2017 and oversaw the distillery’s rise to number one in TripAdvisor’s ranking of visitor attractions in the Cotswolds in 2018, beating more established attractions such as Gloucester Cathedral and the Royal Gardens at the Highgrove Estate.

Highly Commended

Julie Fitzgerald
Adnams

Gin Ambassador of the Year

Aidan Conroy
Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin

Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin was launched in 2018, the first product to come out of Lough Ree Distillery’s micro-distillery in Lanesborough, Co Longford, Ireland. Brand ambassador Aidan Conroy has thrown himself behind the spirit (the first and currently only spirit to be distilled with peat as a botanical), promoting it at events including Gin Week 2019 and Bar Convent Berlin.

Highly Commended

Keli Rivers
Sipsmith

Gin Buyer of the Year

Jack Breslin
Scottish Gantry

A Stirling-based shop with a sterling selection which gives pride of place to Scottish products, from bigger players such as Edinburgh Gin to craft distillers foraging in the Highlands. With a mission to make spirits and wines more accessible, Jack has grown the shop from strength to strength since it opened in 2017 and now provides tasting clubs and other events alongside the retail operation.

Highly Commended

John Vine
Waitrose

Communicator of the Year

Caroline Childerley
The Gin Queen

Launched in 2013, The Gin Queen is now Australia’s biggest gin-related blog and has expanded to encompass cocktail recipes and interviews with industry movers and shakers. Founder Caroline is the owner of Gin Queen on Tour, an Australian ambassador for World Gin Day, partner and organiser for Junipalooza Melbourne, and was the first Australian member of the Gin Guild.

Highly Commended

The Bearded Gin Guy
South Africa

Designer of the Year

Adam Hill

Adam Hill’s collaboration with Cape Town craft producer Unit 43 Distilling Company on their flagship gin The Prospector shows that almost as much thought has gone into the packaging as into the spirit housed within. Not for the first time has inspiration been drawn from Adam’s illustration-led design, with the ornate paper wrapping giving way to a sleek black bottle, providing two striking angles to the brand.

Highly Commended

Thiago Modesto
Estudio de Design

Distillery Manager of the Year

Andrew Auwerda
Philadelphia Distilling

Former cosmetics company owner Andrew was instrumental in setting up Philadelphia Distillery in 2005 – the first new producer in Pennsylvania since Prohibition and one of only a few dozen craft distillers in the US at the time. He has since helped his “truly Philadelphian distillery” to prosperity, from supporting the launch of its flagship Bluecoat Gin to overseeing its move to a new $4.5 million distillery in 2017.

Highly Commended

Dr Garrison Ellam
Arizona Craft Beverage

Master Distiller of the Year

Dave Withers
Archie Rose Distilling Co.

Born into a family of winemakers, Dave carved a new path in distilling and has developed a particular interest in the science of spirits production. He has been instrumental in driving product innovation at Archie Rose, such as the Summer Gin Project releases, a collaborative series with tattoo artist Horisumi and two gins produced with Sydney Opera House.

Highly Commended

Alex Davies
The Kyoto Distillery