BEAUFORT FIFTY-SEVEN SMOKED SIPPING GIN WINS HIGHEST ACCOLADE AT IWSC 2020

Scoring 98/100 points, Cotswolds-based BeauFort Fifty-Seven is the only British expression to have achieved a ‘Gold Outstanding’ in Contemporary Gin category at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2020. 

The IWSC is often regarded as the most respected awards in the drinks business with the Gold Outstanding medal the competition’s highest, awarded to just a handful of products every year: “this is a genuinely significant achievement” writes IWSC Judging Panel Chair, and World spirits authority Joel Harrison; BeauFort’s Fifty-Seven “neatly encapsulates the creativity and diversity of the Contemporary category.”

Each spirit was tasted blind. All spirits scoring 90 and above were re-tasted by the Judging Committee to ensure consistency across the tasting – so BeauFort Fifty Seven’s success is not to be under-estimated.

BeauFort Spirit, located in Broadway, is the fractious offspring of musician Leo Crabtree, founder of the international selling Fragrance House, BeauFort London.

BeauFort Spirit’s originality lies in part with the ’smoking’ of its liquors and its uncompromising approach in the pursuit of flavour and experience. Working closely with the Halen Môn smokery in Anglesey, BeauFort Spirit hijacked an ingredient originally designed by Heston Blumenthal – an oak smoked water which now lends a distinctive signature flavour into the spirits.

Not a company to shy away from the unusual, the nascent product range is led by the 57% ABV Smoked Sipping Gin, a ‘nod’ to the Admiralty’s ‘Gunpowder Proof’ test.

Executed by Master Distiller Rob Dorsett of Langley Distillery in the heart of the Black Country, this gin is created in small batches in the distillery’s historic copper stills, and finished by Sion Edwards of Union Distillers of Leicestershire, where the high strength distillate is blended to strength with BeauFort’s unique smoked water - a finely executed combination of traditional methods of production and a single-minded approach to sensuality and refinement. 

Tasting notes: Oak smoke, juniper and pepper sharpened with fresh lemon peel on the nose. Powerful palate of spice and smoke with a smooth, rounded mouthfeel emphasising the piney bite of juniper.
 
Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Angelica Root, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Orris, Liquorice, Szechuan pepper, Pink Pepper, Smoked Oak and Hickory Chips.
 
BeauFort 57 Smoked Gin 57% abv has an RRP of £39.95 per 50cl, through www.beaufortspirit.com or www.masterofmalt.com. 

For over 50 years The International Wine & Spirit Competition has rewarded excellence in the drinks industry worldwide. It ensures recognition for the very best wines and spirits. This is the international benchmark for quality, standing out in the crowded world of drinks awards with hundreds of global experts – including buyers, producers, distillers, sommeliers, distributors and influencers – judging wines and spirits throughout the year.