The top gins in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) have just been released. The Best of Class category winners will be announced at the Top Shelf Awards Gala and Grand Tasting on June 16 and 17 at Resorts World in Las Vegas. Tickets for the event are available at the Top Shelf website or through ReserveBar.
A total of 33 gins won the coveted Double Gold medal at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). They ranged from Argentina to Estonia to Canada. The entries were the broadest international assortment of gins ever entering the SFWSC. A further 51 gins won a Gold Medal.
Three barrel-aged gins received Double Gold medals, and five received Gold medals. Two Old Tom Gins also received Double Gold. There was one additional Gold medal in that category. One flavored gin and one genever received Double Gold medals.
Founded in 2000, the SFWSC is the oldest competition in North America and the largest spirits judging in the world. Sixty-five judges, drawn from around the globe, evaluated approximately 5,500 spirits over three days in April 2023.
The Tasting Alliance, founded by Anthony Dias Blue, organized the competition. In addition to the SFWSC, the Tasting Alliance also organizes spirit competitions in New York and Singapore, wine competitions in San Francisco and New York, and competitions for beer and RTDs.
Berry Bros. & Rudd, No. 3 London Dry Gin,
Photo, courtesy Berry Brothers & Rudd
Three gins are vying for the Best in Category and Best Overall Gin: Ginny Pig, Botanic Gin, 44% ABV; Berry Bros. & Rudd, No. 3 London Dry Gin, 46% ABV; and Wharf Street Distillery, Citrus Gin, 42% ABV.
Ginny Pig is an Australian craft distiller in Tooperang on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. The distillery produces several iconic gins, including Hot x Gin, a gin featuring the flavors of hot cross buns, and Christmas Gin, a gin infused with the flavors of a traditional Christmas pudding.
Botanic Gin is a London Dry style gin that the company says “boasts a clean and fresh nose. With bold dry notes and a subtle floral finish.” In addition to the typical botanicals of juniper and citrus, it also features lemon myrtle, rosemary, Tasmanian Pepperberry and elderflower.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described Botanic Gin as exhibiting:
Pronounced juniper notes and citrus notes on the nose. Sweet on the palate featuring juniper, citrus, and some slight earthy notes accompanied by a steadily growing pepperiness. Long, sweet juniper finish with a lingering chili-like pepperiness.
Berry Bros & Rudd, No. 3, London Dry Gin, 46% ABV, is produced for Berry Bros & Rudd, London’s oldest wine and spirit merchant. The firm dates back to 1698. The company describes its gin as “the perfect balance of juniper, citrus and spice.”
The gin is distilled in Holland in a 100-year-old, brick-encased, copper pot still. It has won “World’s Best Gin” at the International Spirits Challenge four times. The gin is flavored with just six botanicals – coriander, angelica root, juniper berries, orange peel, cardamon seeds, and grapefruit peel. These are added to the still and seeped for 16 hours before starting a 7-hour-long distillation.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described No. 3 London Dry Gin as:
Mild juniper notes on the nose. Sweet and viscous on the palate, with juniper, citrus, and slightly earthy notes. The finish is long with a lingering pepperiness.
Wharf Street Distillery is based in Forster, New South Wales, Australia. The company describes its citrus gin as a “session gin, perfect for drinking anytime, neat or with tonic.” The gin has a pronounced citrus flavor note from ruby grapefruit and lime with additional notes of a seaside breeze from Saltbush and a hint of spice from black pepper.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described the gin as showing:
Citrus on the nose with noticeable but mild juniper notes. Very earthy on the palate, with pronounced citrus and juniper flavors. Smooth and viscous, with lingering juniper notes and a gentle but persistent pepperiness on the finish.
Some of the gins that won Double Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Photo, courtesy Katlyn Tucker/The Tasting Alliance
Among the Double Gold medalists, several stood out: Hilbing Gin (Mendoza, Argentina) London Dry; Beg Boutique Distillery (Sao Paulo, Brazil), New World Navy Gin; Archie Rose (NSW, Australia), Bone Dry Gin; Tempus Two, (NSW, Australia) Shiraz Gin; Wabasso, (Quebec, Canada) Conifère Gin; Elephant Gin (Germany) Orange Cocoa Gin; and GINDOME, (Tallinn, Estonia), Mermaid Gin.
Among the top American gins were Freeland Spirits (Oregon), Gin; Mojave (California), Low Desert Gin; and J Rieger & Co (Missouri), Midwestern Dry Gin.
Some of the finalists in the Top Aged and Top Old Tom Gin categories
Photo, courtesy Katlyn Tucker/The Tasting Alliance
The finalists in the Best of Barrel Aged Gin category were: Crazy Eights (Shanghai, China), Barrel-Aged Gin; Hardshore (Maine) North Oak Barrel Rested Gin; and Avonak (Texas), Distiller’s Reserve.
In the Best of Old Tom Gin category, the two finalists were: Langstane Liquor Co (Scotland, UK), Porter’s Tropical Old Tom, and Greenhook Ginsmiths (New York), Old Tom Gin.
The 2022 SFWSC judging produced another superlative collection of world-class gins. It’s remarkable that many of the big international brands were missing and that the category is increasingly dominated by craft producers in the US and globally. Even more remarkable is that several of these medalists retail for under $20 a bottle.
Time to reconsider your gin and tonic or gin martini mainstays. There is a whole new world of gin to explore.
A complete listing of all the medal winners at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition is available on the Tasting Alliance website.
Cheers
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