GEOMETRIC GIN AND NO 3 LONDON DRY GIN have been awarded as the local and international winners respectively, of the second Sunday Times Lifestyle Gin Awards, held this month at Cartel Rooftop in Cape Town. Roku Japanese Gin won the award for best packaging.

The Sunday Times Lifestyle Gin Awards celebrate the creators and retailers of locally and internationally crafted gins and variants. Judging took place in two phases, with 30 entries in the international gin category, and more than 80 in the local gin category.

The initial adjudication process saw each category being shortlisted to only four finalists, by a panel which included Louis Janse van Rensburg (aka The Bearded Gin Guy), Msizi James (5FM radio presenter), Amanda du Pont (actress, model, TV presenter), and Tiso Blackstar’s magazine supplement publisher, Aspasia Karras.

The second phase relied on input from gin lovers who voted for their favourites during blind tastings held at Makro stores across the country. “With gin still on the upward trend it was great to see the increase in entries,” says Hayley Mee, Senior Liquor Buyer at Makro.

Here are the final results:

International

  • Winner: No 3 London Dry Gin (Berry Bros & Rudd)
  • Runner-up: Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin (The Shed Distillery)
  • 3rd place: Beefeater (James Burrough Ltd)
  • 4th place: Roku Japanese Gin (Osaka Distillery)

Local

  • Winner: Geometric Gin (Geometric Drinks)
  • Runner-up: Ginifer Joburg Dry Gin (Angel Heart Distillery)
  • 3rd place: The Prospector (Unit 43 Distilling Company)
  • 4th place: Monks Mysterium (Monks Distillery)

Each category winner was awarded a trophy, along with R250 000 worth of advertising space in the Sunday Times and Sowetan.

This year, distilleries were also recognised for the visual appeal of their products. The winner of the best packaging category was decided by an online public-voting process.

Best Packaging 

    • Winner: Roku Japanese Gin (Osaka Distillery)
    • Runner-up: Mirari Celebration Gin (Time Anchor Distillery)
    • 3rd place: Malfy Gin Rosa (Torino Disillati)
    • 4th place: Monks Mysterium (Monks Distillery)
Gin Awards Winners
Gin Awards Finalists
Gin Awards Finalists