The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Gin prizes are real tonic
Recognition: Couple’ s recipe scoops two medals in renowned competition
A husband and wife have won two awards in a worldrenowned wine and spirit competition for their premium gin inspired by Aberdeenshire’s tea trade links.
The Teasmith Gin, created by Nick and Emma Smalley from Udny Green, has been awarded a bronze medal in the Gin Contemporary Styles category and a silver medal in the Gin and Tonic category at this year’s International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC).
The awards win comes as the couple plan to increase production levels of the artisan gin, produced in Perthshire’s Strathearn distillery and expand their distribution across the UK.
The Teasmith Gin has also picked up five prizes from the Scottish Design Awards 2017, Scottish Creative Awards 2017 and Graphis 2018 competitions for its design and branding, developed by local designers FortyTwo Studio.
Following the initial launch of the Teasmith in December 2016, with the first batch of 570 bottles selling out in less than a week, co-founder Emma now works full-time on the product.
T h e d r i n k u s e s botanicals associated with Aberdeenshire and was Scotland’s first premium gin distilled with hand-picked tea.
Mrs Smalley said: “It’s a huge honour for us to win these awards and have this kind of recognition so soon after the launch.
“There has been a real renaissance in the gin-making community, so it’s great to have our product highlighted in such a prestigious competition.
“It’s been a labour of love developing the Teasmith Gin. We spent more than a year learning the art of distilling and went through a meticulous process to select the best ingredients to allow us to perfect our blend, so we’re extremely proud to receive these accolades.”
Founded in 1969, the IWSC is considered the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world, with the awards among some of the highest honours in the industry.
The judging includes a blind tasting by expert panels, selected from more than 400 qualified industry judges. The FTSE 100 rose 0.3%, or 23 points, to 7,655.79 yesterday, with traders bracing themselves for a heavy week of corporate reporting.
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McColl’s shares plunged 14%, or 29p to £1.81 after halfyear profits halved, with the convenience store operator having suffered “one of the most challenging” trading periods to date.
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