The Country Winners of the first round of the World Gin Awards 2019 were announced this month, recognising South Africa’s best gin labels.
The World Gin Awards are presented by TheDrinksReport.com and recognise the best spirits from around the world, from gin to whiskey.
Country Winners are chosen across various categories of gins, from classics to London dry-style. The final winners of the World’s Best Gin will be announced on February 21 2019.
Although it is just the first round, we are proud to announce that Capetonians can officially boast about Mother City gin as being the best in the country.
Gin is a South African favorite, with more and more local distilleries popping up around the country, and Cape Town is home to some of the best.
Each gin submitted to the awards competition is tasted by a panel of esteemed judges. The judging panel at this year’s awards consisted of international leading journalists, specialist drinks retailers and industry experts.
Here are the South African Country Winners from the first round:
Category winners:
Best Classic Gin – Monks Medella
Winning Best Classic Gin in South Africa, Monks Medella is produced in the Breede Valley and is part of Monks’ The Alchemy of Gin. Produced in small batches, Monks gins are handcrafted and double-distilled using a hybrid artisanal still merged with flavour-forward botanicals that are handpicked and endemic to the area.
Monks Medella is a gin infused with blueberries which are farmed on location, adding a fresh taste to a cocktail. This batch of gin was awarded the Gold Michelangelo Award in 2018.
Website: www.monksgin.co.za
Best Compound Gin – Monks Mary Jane
Monks took the prize again for Best South African Contemporary gin.
Monks’ latest creation, the gin has been infused with hemp and has a unique flavour. The bottle boasts a sleek marijuana leaf design and the gin was released in stores in June 2018.
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Best London Dry Gin – KWV Cruxland Gin
Cruxland is a small-batch premium gin made from grapes and infused with exotic Kalahari truffle along with eight signature botanicals.
It boasts flavours of fresh juniper and lemon, which is enhanced by coriander and spices and given an earthy character from the Kalahari truffles.
The gin is produced in Paarl and the eight botanicals are aniseed, rooibos, lemon, coriander, honey bush, almond, juniper, and cardamon – creating a truly South African blend of flavours.
It is the second year in a row that Cruxland has taken home this prestigious award, cementing its status as a top South African London dry gin.
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