North of Eden Gin takes home gold at International Wine and Spirit Competition in London

Their Admiral gin went head-to-head with around 4000 spirit entries at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London and had to receive the approval of a number of judges to be awarded gold.

The competition sets the international benchmark for quality spirits and wines, and the Eden-produced London Dry Gin was judged by a Spirits Judging Committee including a range of specialists producers and tasters.

North of Eden's owners Gavin Hughes and Karen Touchie were, "pretty stoked" to hear on Wednesday March 16 that their product had taken home a gold medal.

Mr Hughes said that usually only 5% of the spirits entered reach the prestigious gold standard, and that 95 points have to be scored to be awarded gold.

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The spirits are judged on clarity in terms of colour, the alcohol content of the product, the odour and aromas, and the taste of the gin.

The tasting note given by the Eden distillers was that it was, "bursting with personality and power and has this crisp, clean aromas of classic juniper, spice and vegetal notes. The perfectly judged palate had lots of juniper but gains complexity from zesty citrus, coriander, and fruity apple."

"The reason we enter these competitions is to make sure the products that we make are actually world class, so we're looking for feedback to make sure we're making gin of a standard that will stand up anywhere in the world," said Mr Hughes.

"To walk away with any medal is fantastic, but to walk away with the gold is just amazing."

Their Admiral gin bottles will now get to be adorned and labelled with a gold sticker.

North of Eden still identify as a, "tiny producer in commercial terms" with their two 100L stills, but they now employ three staff members.

Their apprentice distiller Ruby Davis works full-time, and they have two other people who assist with their cellar door and also bottling.

"To get this accolade is really quite special, it's what you strive to do is make the best product that you can and to get that external recognition that it is truly world class and one of the best in the world is just fantastic," said Mr Hughes.

North of Eden's Oyster Shell Gin also received a bronze award at the 2022 awards.