The London Spirits Competition is now considered one of the most important spirits competitions in the world. The awards recognise products based on how both consumers and the trade buy today.
The competition attracts the highest quality judges and reviews products by quality, value and packaging. Winning at the London Spirits Competition holds substantial significance for a spirits brand thanks to several pivotal reasons.
The judging process
The judging is broken down like this:
Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = London Wine Competition Score
A separate weighted score is given for each of the three parts of the judging process (Quality gets twice the weight.
- Quality – Score marked out of 100
- Value – Score marked out of 100, and
- Packaging – Score marked out of 100
Judges reward products that most appeal to potential consumers in how they taste, their value for money and what they look like. These are the factors that importers, distributors and retailers are utilising to choose the new brands they do business with.
Here are some testimonials and case studies from brands on how the London Spirits Competition has helped them grow.
North Uist Distillery Co’s Downpour Gin
“Being a medal winner at the London Spirits Competition has had a significant impact on our sales. One of our business goals for the year was to gain more traction in the on-trade. Recognition from LSC has acted as a seal of approval in this respect as the competition is judged by some of the world’s leading figures from the hospitality sector. Not only this, judging is undertaken with the end consumer in mind, so you know the judges can genuinely see a space for your products.
“Often it is difficult to identify a tangible link between awards success and specific listings, however, I can point to several new partnerships as a direct result of our LSC medals. This includes a listing with a high-end UK-wide department store whose buyer was on the judging panel. This also includes the opening up of a new export market after we were approached by an importer who had seen coverage of our success.
“This is no coincidence. The LSC team did a superb job of promoting the competition and providing a platform for the medal winners. We have won top medals in other competitions and it was a flash in the pan, whereas LSC has sustained the coverage throughout the year.”
MAMM Destilerija
Located between the Drava River and the slopes of the Bilogora mountains in Croatia is the small town of Pitomača, where MAMM Distillery produces its award-winning brandy.
When asked about how the London Spirits Competition award for its Eudokia quince brandy helped, co-owner Martina, who runs the business with her husband, Peter, says the gold medal has “put the wind in our sails so we can progress and grow”. The medal has also had a “positive impact on our marketing”.
“We are interested in participating again [in this year’s competition],” adds Martina. “We have progressed and have seen how we can present our distillery [to the world] for a second time.”
Tamborine Mountain Distillery
When asked for his opinion on the London Spirits Competition, co-owner & head distiller at Queensland, Australia’s Tamborine Mountain Distillery, Gordon Chalmers, says: “Only one word needed: fantastic!”
“I was well aware of the London Spirits Competition, having entered a number of times in previous years,” he adds.
“As Australia’s most internationally awarded distillery this century – with nearly 400 awards – we enter quite a few competitions each year as we develop new drinks.”
Commenting on the success that Tamborine Mountain achieved last year at the London Spirits Competition, Gordon says: “It’s always rewarding to win any medal when competing against so many great and much bigger brands. To win the Best Brandy at last year’s LSC event was absolutely brilliant.
“We have a very strong social media following and use multiple platforms to announce all our big events and news. Last year’s event was a big news event both for our loyal customers and for our local community.”
Given the success and satisfaction with the LSC, Tamborine Mountain Distillery has already entered eight products for the 2024 competition.
Headlands Distilling Co
“The London Spirits Competition provided us with an independent evaluation of our products and invaluable feedback about tasting notes,” says Thomas Simnadis from Headlands Distilling Co in Australia. “We were happy with the individualised feedback and care taken by organisers to ensure products arrived on time and were given the attention they deserve. We will definitely enter again in 2024.
“Winning gold medals at the London Spirits Competition has proven to be a powerful mechanism to attract international buyers to Headlands’ products. Winning such awards demonstrates that objective evaluators rank our products in the highest category of quality. This triggered us to advertise medals through online and print media to promote the Headlands’ portfolio and further illustrate the unique selling points of our products.
“With international food and spirits awards proliferating, it can become unclear what the worth of a gold medal is. The London Spirits Competition is an exception, with buyers holding such an award in the highest esteem. This reflects the competition’s inherent value, which has helped propel us forward as we grow Headlands both locally in Australia and further afield in overseas markets.
“In essence, winning at the London Spirits Competition serves as a validation of quality, enhances marketability and contributes significantly to a brand’s credibility, visibility, and potential for commercial success in the competitive spirits industry. “
Entry to the London Spirits Competition 2024 is open now with a deadline of Thursday 22 February. Don’t miss your chance to elevate your brand’s standing in the global market!
