The results of the 2022 London Spirits Competition are out. This is a competition where spirits are judged for end consumers. Spirits are rated with three main criteria in mind: quality, value and packaging. To be a medal winner, Spirits must show a rating in all the three factors with the most weightage on quality.
A record number of entrants are this year vying for the much-coveted bronze, silver, and gold medals, with about 2500 spirits brands from more than 80 countries, about 50% more compared to last year, being assessed by the top panel of judges, consisting of some of the world’s leading figures from the hospitality sector.
Some of the country’s top bartenders and spirits buyers gathered on March 23-24-25 at St Mary’s Church in London’s Marylebone, sniffing, swirling, and spitting their way through a vast array of gins, vodkas, and whiskies as well as a range of more esoteric spirits, as the judging of the London Spirits Competition reaches a peak. These include representatives from some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants, bars, and hotels such as the Ritz, Le Manoir, Gleneagles, the Goring, the Connaught, and Claridges.
The 2022 Competition saw 447 entries from the United Kingdom as the top entrant country, followed by 323 products from Australia and 160 from the United States. 771 Gins made Gin the top category entrant followed by Whiskey and Rum.
The top winners at the 2022 London Spirits Competition are:
2022 London Spirits Competition Winner “ Bareksten Navy Strength Gin”.
2022 London Spirits Competition Winners:
Best Spirits of The Year 2022: Bareksten Navy Strength Gin, Norway.
Best Spirits of The Year (by Quality): Bareksten Navy Strength Gin, Norway.
Best Spirits of The Year (by Value): Samuel Gelston’s Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Ireland.
Best Spirits of The Year (by Package): Bareksten Navy Strength Gin, Norway.
Best Vodka of The Year 2022: Vestal Vodka, Poland.
Best Rum of The Year 2022: Rum Nation Panama 21 Aged Years, Panama.
Best Tequila of The Year 2022: Tequila Don Fulano Imperial, Mexico.
Best Gin of The Year 2022: Bareksten Navy Strength Gin, Norway.
Best Whisky of The Year 2022: Spirit Hound Straight Malt Whiskey, United States.
Best Brandy of The Year 2022: Grappa Riserva Invecchiata in Botti da Whiskey, Italy.
Best Liqueur of The Year 2022: Amaro San Marco, Italy.
Best Cognac of The Year 2022: Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula, France.
Bareksten represents the essence of Norway, in both taste and character – dark, wild, breathtaking and dramatic. Clean flavours inspired by ancient craft traditions are the soul of Bareksten’s botanical wonders.
Norwegian herbs, potatoes and berries fight an intense, slow and never-ending battle in extreme environments. Only the strongest and most stubborn survive. Norwegian ingredients, touched only by nature, form the basis for the raw flavours of Bareksten’s botanical spirits.
Salvatore Calabrese, bar owner and consultant to the bar industry; Gavio Riva, floor manager at the Hoxton; Diana Aladzic, head bartender at Soho House; Paolo Perrini, bartender at Claridges’; Agostino Perrone, director of the mixology at the Connaught Hotel; and Daniele Azzaro, bartender at Rocco Forte Hotels – these are just a few of the highly regarded names who feature on the judging panel, which reads like an Oscars of the hospitality sector.
Judged on three key criteria – quality, value, and packaging, and scored on a 100-point scale, those spirits that score 90 plus points are awarded a Gold medal while those spirits that accrue 76 – 89 points receive a Silver. Bronze award winners are those drinks that assemble between 65 – 75 points.
About London Spirits Competition
The London Spirits Competition is an international spirits competition organized by Beverage Trade Network. The competition looks to recognise, reward and help promote brands that have successfully been created to tick all the boxes – quality, value and packaging.
Contact the London Spirits Competition at brian@beveragetradenetwork.com.
