York Gin has had an unforgettable Yorkshire Day with all four gins it entered into the Great Taste Awards winning stars in the prestigious tasting competition.
York Gin London Dry won two stars, described as ‘above and beyond delicious’. Only around 9% of entries were awarded a Great Taste two stars.
Its Old Tom, Outlaw Navy Strength and Chocolate & Orange gins each won a star for their ‘fantastic flavour’.
The results announcement on 1st August coincides with Yorkshire Day. Over 14,000 products from 110 countries were entered into the competition.
Master Distiller, Harry Cooke, said: “The Great Taste Awards are an instantly recognisable mark of quality. So, to win stars for all four gins we entered is a great compliment.
“We’re confident that all the gins we make are absolutely top notch. But it’s always good to have this independently verified by professional tasters.
Harry added: “As a distiller, descriptions like ‘cleverly made’, ‘skilfully made and ‘a great example’ show I’m doing my job!
“One of York Gin’s founding principles is to make York proud of us – and we’re delighted to bring home these Great Taste Awards.”
Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind-tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.
This year, the judging took place over 90 days across two judging locations (Dorset and London) with a panel of more than 500 judges.
More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process. 4,078 products were awarded a Great Taste star, described as ‘food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour’. 1,237 were awarded a Great Taste two stars: ‘above and beyond delicious’.
Only 39.1% of the total products entered actually received an award.
The judges’ notes included these comments:
York Gin London Dry:
Lots of complexity on the nose of this skilfully made gin …. Very drinkable … A very well constructed aroma, really clean and focused with a lovely balance of layers – the citrus, floral, angelica, slight fruity exoticism – made us want to dive in. This had a lovely suite of complex layers of flavour and did speak of everything we would hope for from a London dry gin. … an excellent product.
York Gin Old Tom:
A great nose, lots of pepper and anise and ultimately a great example of an Old Tom gin.
York Gin Outlaw Navy Strength:
A big, unapologetic, gin that is unrelenting in both alcohol and approach. Loads of flavour and a long, pleasant finish.
York Gin Chocolate & Orange:
A cleverly made and exciting concept with a full cocoa flavour.