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In the Lower‐Alcohol (26% to 30% ABV) round, meanwhile, Beefeater Botanics Lemon and and Ginger walked away with an impressive Gold medal. A large flight of Non‐Alcoholic White ‘Spirit’ (less than 0.5% ABV) delivered a pair of Master medallists. Said to be a good twist on the G&T, Everleaf’s Forest is loaded with sustainably sourced botanicals including saffron, citrus blossom and vanilla.
The bar features an immersive forest staircase, photo wall and interactive games where guests can win a selection of prizes. The third group consisted of: Rosie Lees, co‐founder and director of Nineteen94; Sara Jane Eichler, founder of Negroni Club UK; and Matt Chambers, spirits writer and cofounder of the Whisky for Everyone blog, who chaired. Lauded by one of our judges for its “fruity nose with berries, a little bit of sweetness, and good texture”, this gin was the first spirit to be awarded a Master medal in the day of tasting.Everleaf Forest was the first product debuted by the brand, and is a bittersweet blend of sustainably sourced botanical distillates and extracts carefully chosen to capture forest flavours, including saffron, Madagascan vanilla and honeyed orange blossom. The bottle received a Master medal in The DB & SB Spring Blind Tasting 2022.
The latter was lauded for its “incredible smell and flavour” which was described as “complex and interesting with a lovely floral element that is quite balanced with its sweetness. Rich with lots of delicious jammy notes to get into.” The perfect base for a Spritz now that Spring is in full swing. This sponsorship has been reinforced with targeted regional out-of-home (OOH) advertising, which will further cement and encourage recognition of Everleaf as the ‘non-alcoholic Spritz of choice’. The world’s most decorated female chef, Anne-Sophie Pic, isn’t just famed for her foodie flair, but for redefining the art of drink pairing. Just see the launch of ‘Imprégnation Absolue’, a new, non-alcoholic drink pairing menu at La Dame De Pic. The intricate extractions, fermentations and infusions of the flowers and herbs used have been tried and tested at her Valencian lab, with the teas taking on a new dimension, elevating the dishes they accompany. We particularly love the Genmaicha Collins, Seedlip Martini, and Hon Gyokura tea, which are served as an aromatic prelude to prepare diners for the aromas that will be blended into their dishes. Wondering what a non-alcoholic spirit actually is? The term essentially covers both distilled botanicals filtered not once, but twice, to remove the alcohol through evaporation, and macerated and extracted botanicals made without the introduction of alcohol. Other types use no alcohol whatsoever, using more inventive techniques like steam distillation. Of course, Aperol isn’t the only traditional option when it comes to Spritzes in Italy, where you were just as likely to encounter options made with Campari, Cynar and more. Then there’s the Hugo Spritz, said to have been created in 2005, combining elderflower (nowadays St-Germain or something similar), prosecco, mint and soda water.
The campaign features influencer partnerships, the launch of its first ready-to-drink (RTD) range, as well as a nationwide Spritz competition to be replicated at Imbibe Live in London on 4-5 July.
The brand also walked away with a Gold medal for their Takamaka Dark Spiced rum. Both are bottled at 38% ABV. A second Master was awarded to Pallini Limonzero, which offered a “great lemon aroma” on the nose. “Excellent body and lemony taste that resembles limoncello greatly. Slight spiciness at the end, but overall great,” noted Prousaefs. Despite its hefty ABV, this sea-turtle-saving distillery’s Navy Strength expression was praised for its “bright and tropical palate, with pineapple, papaya”, and was subsequently presented with a Gold medal. Seedlip Spice also found favour with the judges, winning a Gold medal. Tasting notes included: “Clove oil, cinnamon, and warming Christmas spices.”
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One brand that’s flying the flag for zero-ABV Spritzes is non-alcoholic aperitif Everleaf, which recently held the second incarnation of its nationwide Spritz competition. In a final held at Imbibe Live this year, Alessandro Todini from Seed Library in London took top spot, with an inspired combination of Everleaf Marine, a dashi and olive cordial and Mediterranean tonic, entitled Super Olive. With only 1% of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey barrels selected as single barrels, it is perhaps not a surprise that this particular bottle walked away with a Master medal at this year’s tasting. This is a special whiskey. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ As the contest travelled from Scotland across the Irish Sea, we found another well-deserved Master medal winner, this time a blend from McConnell’s Irish Whisky, a Belfast distillery that has controversially decided to drop the ‘e’ from its spirit title. Smith was just as excited about this round. He noted: “Some superb products that really encapsulates their alcoholic counterparts, balance of sweetness and sourness.”
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