Of late, Indian gins have gained widespread popularity in both domestic and international markets. The unique blend of botanicals – juniper, coriander, cardamom, and Indian citrus – impart a unique flavor and offer a delightful twist to the regular gin.
The recently held 2024 London Spirits Competition and its winners are a testament to the Indian gin renaissance. From Jaislmer to Roulette, Greater Than, Cherrapunji, Pumori, and Hapusa, the London Spirits Competition featured some of the prominent Indian Gins clinching gold, silver, and bronze medals. And Radico, considered a powerhouse in the AlcoBev industry, struck multiple golds that evening with Jaisalmer – Indian Craft Gin, the only Indian Gin to take home a gold medal by scoring a stellar 91 points.
Followed by Jaisalmer, Roulette London Dry Gin – a young contender from John Distilleries stable – managed to bag a silver by scoring a whopping 89 points, just a point away from clinching a gold. Roulette, with its juniper-forward profile, has managed to outscore prominent gins like Greater Than, Hapusa, and Pumori – something that’s not only unexpected, but refreshing too. It is noteworthy that this unique profile of theirs has also won them the coveted ‘Best Premium Gin’ award at the Ambrosia Awards 2024, last month. Additionally, the 2024 London Spirits Competition also bestowed Nao Spirits and Beverages with multiple silver medals, for their exceptional gins.
Ginthusiasm aside, the competition celebrated some top-notch whiskies as well. Radico’s Rampur Double Cask and Rampur Asava clinched gold by scoring 90 points each; Paul John Indian Single Malt Whiskey Nirvana Unpeated from the John Distilleries stable took home gold by scoring 90.
Spirit brands from more than 80 countries entered the competition with top contenders from Australia, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, Poland, India, Croatia, and the United States. The spirits were evaluated by a panel of top judges from the hospitality industry based on the quality, value for money, and packaging, keeping the end-consumers in mind. Brands that scored between 90 – 100 points, 75 – 89 points, and 65 – 75 points were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
While there were substantial contenders for whisky, rum, vodka, tequila, and liqueurs, gin led the competition with 520 brands entering the competition.
Links:
Award Links:
https://londonspiritscompetition.com/en/competition-certificates/2024/silver- medal/13870/
https://londonspiritscompetition.com/en/competition-global-results/2024/