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Gin Awards 2024 winners announced!

21.02.24Icons of Gin and World Gin Awards 2024, plus new Gin Hall of Fame inductees, announced at gala dinner in London
The biggest and most prestigious names in the gin industry have been recognised at the Gin Awards 2024.

The Gin Awards aims to spotlight the very best people, places, and products in the world of gin.

From brand ambassadors and communicators to distillers and visitor attractions, the Icons of Gin awards honour those who have worked tirelessly for the growth of the industry. Among the 2024 winners were Laura Pearce of North Point Distillery, who was named Brand Ambassador of the Year, and Jon Hillgren of Hernö Gin, who took home Master Distiller/Master Blender of the Year.

Meanwhile, the World Gin Awards commend the best gins in the world, tasted and voted on by a panel of expert judges to decide the World’s Best. This year’s winners include Gale Force Gin for World’s Best London Dry Gin, Ohoro Gin for World’s Best Classic Gin, and Maral for World’s Best Sloe Gin.

Induction into the Gin Hall of Fame is reserved for those who have dedicated their professional lives to the gin industry. This year, three new inductees have been welcomed: Emma Stokes, Xavier Baker, and Cameron Mackenzie.

Anita Ujszaszi, awards director, said: “The competitiveness in the gin category continues to grow every year and we are delighted as always to have recognised the World’s Best. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to our dedicated judges in Canada, the USA, Germany and our global judging panel in the UK. It was a fantastic experience to host more than 100 entrants and judges for our final World’s Best Tasting and Country Winner Announcement in London. Thank you to all of those who attended.”

David T Smith, chair of judges for the World Gin Awards and Icons of Gin, added: “This year’s judging took place in person at locations in the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK, bringing together both the camaraderie and expertise of judges from around the world. This makes the World Gin Awards a truly global competition and helps to encourage and strengthen the international gin community in the process.

One geographical area that stood out is the USA, which, with its long tradition of distilling, has outperformed in this year's competition. Despite that, gin still sits far behind vodka, whiskey, and tequila in terms of popularity in the US, so there’s still plenty of room for growth.

Australia and Japan continued to do well, too, alongside another highlight: Wales. Wales has been producing high-quality gin for a number of years, but, this year, the proficiency of production has been particularly prominent.

This year's judging reflects the increasing quality of gin made around the world: as some markets mature, others are really starting to heat up. There is still plenty to be excited about with gin!

A special thanks to the competition team, the judges, and, of course, our entrants.”

The aim of the Icons of Gin Awards is to celebrate the achievements of outstanding people and places in the global gin industry, including distilleries and their staff, and industry communicators.

Inductee no. 18, Emma Stokes, is a gin communicator and judge who is best known by her handle Gin Monkey. Alongside running her popular social media channels, she is the global organiser of World Gin Day. She is also a former Communicator of the Year in the Icons of Gin.

Inductee no. 19, Xavier Baker, is co-founder of the Isle of Wight Distillery, producer of Mermaid Gin. Xavier’s hometown pride has inspired him to create a sustainably sourced product and a distillery that supports local community efforts.

Inductee no. 20, Cameron Mackenzie, is co-founder and master distiller of Australian gin distillery Four Pillars. Starting out in wine making, Cameron changed direction and co-created Australia’s first gin-focused distillery in 2013. Four Pillars is now a global brand that focuses on making gin with ingredients native to Australia.

The full list of winners are below:



Icons of Gin 2024: Winners and Highly Commended

Brand Ambassador
Laura Pearce, North Point Distillery
Highly Commended
James May, Asian Parsnip

Distillery Manager
Heather Ricker, North Point Distillery
Highly Commended
Kirra Daley, Beachtree Distilling Co.

Innovation Manager
Laurent Marchal and Bregt Langendries, Explogins

Master Distiller/ Master Blender
Jon Hillgren, Hernö Gin
Highly Commended
Christian Krogstad, Cobblestone Brands
Hakon Hovdenak, Hovdenak Distillery

Production Team
The Team, Four Pillars Distillery
Highly Commended
The Team, North Point Distillery

Sales Team
The Team, Asian Parsnip

Sustainability Officer
Michelle Hall, Four Pillars Distillery

Visitor Attraction Manager
Scott Gauld, Four Pillars Distillery
Highly Commended
Steen Lerche-Jensen, The Hope Distillery

Brand Innovator
KO Klub Gin & Mara Gin

Craft Producer
Beachtree Distilling Co.

Distiller
Hernö Gin

Sustainable Distillery
Hovdenak Distillery

Visitor Attraction
Archie Rose Distilling Co.

Campaign Innovator
Prohibition Liquor Co.

Brand & Packaging Design Agency
Knockout

Communicator
Vanessa Piromallo, That's The Spirit



World Gin Awards 2024: World’s Best

World’s Best Classic Gin
Niseko Distillery – Ohoro Gin

World’s Best Compound Gin
Grinlandonus – Potus Energeticus

World’s Best Contemporary Style Gin
Toca Vida – Gin

World’s Best Colour-Changing Gin
Wolfpack – Moonlight Gin

World’s Best Flavoured Gin
Barossa – Shiraz Gin

World’s Best Genever
Filliers – Barrel Aged Genever 21 Years Old

World’s Best London Dry Gin
Triple Eight – Gale Force Gin

World’s Best Matured Gin
Lost Dutchman – Cask Aged Gin

World’s Best Navy Gin
Hernö Gin – Navy Strength

World’s Best Old Tom Gin
Four Pillars – Rare Old Tom

World’s Best Signature Botanical
Christian Drouin – Le Gin Para

World’s Best Sloe Gin
Maral – Sloe Gin



World’s Best Gin Design
Cygnet 22

Best New Launch Design
Jiao-Y – Dry Gin

Best Secondary Outer Packaging Design
Mallard Point – Premium London Dry Gin

Best Bottle Design
Cygnet 22

Best Label Design
Yuzilla Black Gin – The King Of Citrus Gins

Best Range Design
Sky Wave – Range

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