Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food and drink awards, has announced its stars of 2019. Out of 12,772 products sent in from over 100 different countries, Slake Spirits was awarded two 1-star Great Taste awards, which means judges dubbed both as drinks that deliver fantastic flavour for its Sussex Dry Gin & Hedgerow Gin.

Here’s some of the Judges’ comments:

‘A delightfully aromatic gin, sweet-smelling with a rounded and enticing aromas of ripe berry and floral notes. An intriguing array of woody, spicy, floral notes with maybe a hint of aniseed and a marked coriander presence reveal themselves on the palate. There’s plenty of character and presence to sustain a tonic in a beautifully balanced way, and enough complexity on the finish to maintain a sense of intrigue.’

The Great Taste awards are judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, buyers, retailers and producers, as well as a whole host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind tasting by hundreds of judges.

Dr. Thomas Martin-Wells, director at Slake Spirits, when asked about the awards said:

‘There are an awful lot of competitions and awards given out in the spirit industry. To be quite honest I wasn’t too sure whether we should enter any of them, but I decided to investigate which awards were most respected by consumers and consistently found Great Taste at the top of the list. So, it’s really exciting and validating for the whole team to have won not one, but two Great Taste awards! Sussex is a great county with rich and diverse landscapes from the wooded Weald to the rolling South Downs and the Living Coast by the sea. Some of the finest produce in the UK can be found in Sussex which is also home to some of the best gin; so, it’s fantastic to see that recognised. We’ll be gathering the Slake family together soon to celebrate with a few cocktails no doubt! Sussex Spritz, anyone?’

If you’d like to join the Sussex celebrations with one of Slake’s most popular libations, read on!

Sussex Spiritz gin cocktail in vintage glass with wild Elderflower and garnished with a slice of lemon

Sussex Spritz Recipe:

20 ml Slake Sussex Dry Gin
20 ml Elderflower cordial
20 ml Albourne 40 Vermouth
5 ml Fresh lemon juice

Stir over plenty of ice and top with soda to taste. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Enjoy!

The Great Taste awards are recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is vinegar, granola, bacon or cheese being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

There were 12,772 entries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 208 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,326 received a 2-star and 3,409 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, Kenny Tutt, MasterChef 2018 champion, author, Olia Hercules, chef and food writer, Gill Meller, Kavi Thakar from Dishoom, food writer and stylist, Georgina Hayden and author and chef, Zoe Adjonyoh, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Sourced Market and Partridges. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy winners and the Great Taste 2019 Supreme Champion.

Great Taste 2019 will reach its exciting finale on Sunday 1 September, when the world of fine food gathers at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel, London to find out the Great Taste Golden Fork trophy winners for each region, with the final applause reserved for the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2019.

Slake Spirits Born in Sussex By the Sea Wild Inspired Logo

WANT TO STAY IN TOUCH?

 

Join our journey and receive the latest news, recipes, articles and updates from Slake.

We promise never to sell or pass on your email to anyone else, this is just between us (we hate spam too!).

We hope it won't happen, but if you do get bored of our newsletter you can always opt out at any time.

You have Successfully Subscribed!