Fanfare please! It’s time for the Big Gin Awards 2020, and we’re absolutely over the moon to announce this year’s winners!
Yes, it’s the exciting moment when, at the end of each year, we look back at all of the wonderful treats Craft Gin Clubbers have sipped and nibbled on over the past twelve months - and award the very best of the best the coveted title of winner in their category.
How do we decide on the winners? Well, every month, Craft Gin Clubbers award a score to each of the delicious gins, mixers, tonics and snacks they receive in their Gin of the Month box, as part of an online survey. Simply put: the items awarded the highest scores by our members across the year get handed the medals! (Oh yes, we’ve very democratic here at CGC.)
We also looked at members’ favourite Perfect G&T recipe and Cocktail of the Month from their gin boxes over the last year, to see which of these delicious serves came out on top!
So, who is going to take home a prestigious Big Gin Award for 2020? Scroll down to reveal all!
Have YOU tried any - or all - of these? What do you think of the results? Let us know in the comments on Facebook!
Craft Gin Club’s Big Gin Awards 2020
Best Tonic Water
Runner-up: Bibite Polara Tonica
Members loved the authentic Sicilian flavour of Bibite Polara Tonica, which they discovered in the Mediterranean-themed Gin of the Month box for May 2020.
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Runner-up: Tonica Superfine Tassoni
The crisp, clean Italian flavours of this elegant tonic water,went down very well with members as part of January 2020’s Perfect G&T.
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WINNER:
Artisan Drinks Pink Citrus Tonic
Members went absolutely wild for this beautiful pink tonic water infused with the flavours of fresh grapefruit and blood orange, which we sent as part of our Valentine’s-themed Gin of the Month box in February 2020. Stock up here >>
Best Gin Mixer (Non-Tonic)
Runner-up:
Flawsome! Apple & Rhubarb
Our Cocktail of the Month for March 2020, the Spring Sling, was one of the most popular of the year. This tasty tipple featured Flawsome! Apple & Rhubarb for a refreshingly fruity flavour sensation.
Runner-up:
Lovely Drinks Elderflower & Rose Presse
Made with handpicked elderflowers and English rose petals, this delicately floral mixer proved a hit with recipients of February 2020’s Gin of the Month box.
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WINNER:
Bibite Spuma Polara
The runaway favourite of all our non-tonic gin mixers in 2020 was Spuma Polara, which we sent as part of our May 2020 Gin of the Month box. Members simply couldn’t get enough of this caramel-hued mixer from Sicily, with its sweet notes of rhubarb and orange.
Best UK Gin
Every month, we send our members a full-size bottle of exceptional gin as part of their Gin of the Month box. Based on members’ survey scores, these are the top three UK-produced spirits from the past twelve months.
We are thrilled to see that these were all exclusive gins to Craft Gin Club, produced in collaboration with some of the UK’s best craft distilleries especially for our members!
Runner-up:
Ludlow Elderflower, Chamomile & Lemon Verbena Gin No. 5
Craft Gin Clubbers were overjoyed to celebrate the arrival of spring with the March 2020 Gin of the Month, a special edition of a superb spirit: Ludlow Elderflower, Chamomile & Lemon Verbena No.5. Floral notes of spring sit in perfect harmony with classic juniper-led and citrus botanicals of this classic gin.
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Runner-up:
Whitby Gin the Demeter Edition
Another exclusive for Craft Gin Clubbers, who unveiled this British spirit in their October 2020 Gin of the Month boxes. Rich, heady and juniper-forward, this gin is fragrant on the nose, while on the palate, you’ll get sweet notes of plum, vanilla and pepper dulse.
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WINNER:
Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin
We’re thrilled to reveal this exclusive Craft Gin Club edition from Scotland’s Dunnet Bay Distillery as our Big Gin Award 2020 winner for Best UK Gin! Members scored the Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin, the Gin of the Month from August this year, as their favourite British spirit of the past twelve months. Combining foraged coastal botanicals with botanicals grown by the team at Rock Rose Gin Distillery, it’s a very special gin and truly worthy of this accolade.
Best International Gin
Runner-up:
Perfume Trees Gin, Hong Kong
This exotic and luxurious spirit from Hong Kong starred as our April 2020 Gin of the Month. Made using fragrant local botanicals that are - quite literally - worth more than their weight in gold, this floral delight proved highly popular with Craft Gin Club members.
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Runner-up:
Altitude Gin, CHX Distillers
Craft Gin Clubbers got the new year off to a fabulous start when they opened the January 2020 Gin of the Month box to reveal Altitude Gin. Inspired by the Alpine town of Chamonix and the snowy peaks of Mont Blanc, this crisp, clean spirit was the second-highest scoring international gin of the year.
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WINNER:
Gin aux Agrumes, Distillerie de Monaco
We’re so excited to announce that our Big Gin Award winner for the International Gin category! Gin aux Agrumes (or ‘Distillerie de Monaco Gin’) starred as our May 2020 Gin of the Month, and members immediately went wild for this beautiful, citrus-led gin. Created at the very first distillery ever to open in glamorous Monaco using the ripe, juicy and fragrant oranges and lemons that line the streets of this Mediterranean enclave, this spirit captures the sun-kissed scents of summer in a glass.
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Best Sweet Snack
WINNER:
Tony’s Chocolonely Sea Salt & Caramel Milk Chocolate
This delicious, ethically produced treat from our September 2020 Gin of the Month box beat off stiff competition from runners-up in the form of Lily O’Brien’s Dessert Collection and Copperpot Fudge to take the Big Gin Award 2020 for Best Sweet Snack, based on our members’ feedback!
Best Savoury Snack
WINNER:
Olly’s Olives
Craft Gin Clubbers loved these moreish nibbles that we sent as part of May 2020’s Mediterranean-themed Gin of the Month box. Whether boxes included the Lemon & Thyme, Chilli & Rosemary or Basil & Garlic flavour, these olives knocked it out of the park when it came to members’ scores on just how good they tasted! (Honorary mentions also need to go to our two runners-up, Mr Filbert’s Rosemary Almonds, and REAL Sweet Chilli Crisps).
Gin of the Year, 2020
It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for!
This year’s Big Gin Award for the top-rated Gin of the Month from the past twelve months goes to….
….drum roll please!
Gin Aux Agrumes, Distillerie de Monaco!
Yes, when we counted up all the Craft Gin Club members’ scores for all the Gins of the Month across 2020, the one with the highest score was May’s star spirit. You can discover more about this spectacular gin on our blog - and don’t forget to check out our serving suggestions, as part of the Race Car cocktail and the May 2020 Perfect G&T!
We are also delighted to reveal the gins that came into a close-run second and third place: Altitude Gin and Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition respectively! If you have yet to try either of these beautiful gins, do pop over to our online shop and nab yourself a bottle of these superb spirits while they are still in stock.
Most Popular ‘Perfect G&T’
Each month, we send Craft Gin Club members all the ingredients they need to make the perfect gin and tonic at home - a full-size bottle of gin, with a carefully chosen complementary tonic and garnish. They can then visit our shop to get their hands on each lovely G&T bundle. Based on sales in our online shop, these were the top three most popular G&T serves!
Runner-up: August 2020’s Perfect G&T
Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition Gin; Lovely Drinks Indian Tonic; Dried Grapefruit and Goji Berries, to garnish
Runner-up: November 2020’s Perfect G&T
Pienaar & Son Orient Gin; Fitch & Leedes Indian Tonic; lemon and cardamom, to garnish
WINNER: May 2020’s Perfect G&T
Gin aux Agrumes from Distillerie de Monacao; Bibite Tonica Polara; Orange & Peppercorn Garnish
Most Popular Cocktail of the Month
As well as the ingredients for the Perfect G&T, nibbles and mixers, Craft Gin Clubbers also get sent all the ingredients they need to create the Cocktail of the Month in the monthly gin box. Here, we’ve looked back at members’ feedback scores to discover which Cocktail of the Month was the most popular in 2020!
Runner-up:
Spring Sling, March 2020
Fruity and floral, this cocktail combined spring flavours of apple, rhubarb, elderflower and lemon with smooth gin for a refreshing, tasty tipple! Stock up on Spring Sling Cocktail Syrup >>
Runner-up:
Gin Star Martini
Our spectacular Cocktail of the Month for December 2020 has been a huge hit with members! A ginny twist on the classic Pornstar Martini, this tasty cocktail combines tropical fruit juice, gin and - of course - some sparkling bubbles to chase! It’s the perfect way to turn any night in into a special occasion. Stock up on Gin Star Martini Cocktail Syrup >>
WINNER:
The Race Car
Our May 2020 Gin of the Month box has not only scooped the award for Gin of the Year at the Big Gin Awards, it also gave members their favourite Cocktail of the Month for 2020! Clubbers couldn’t get enough of the Race Car, a delicious herbal, caramel-infused, slightly bitter cocktail that had everyone dreaming of sunkissed Mediterranean shores.
2020 GInny CHART-TOPPERS
Only products in our Gin of the Month boxes get scored by our members, so we can only hand out Big Gin Awards to these products. However, in 2020 we launched some superb gins on our online shop - all hand-selected by our top team of gin-tasting experts - and we think it’s only fair to give a little honorary mention to some of those that proved most popular with members and non-members alike.
Much like the music charts, we’ve based these rankings purely on sales! (Sadly, downloading or live-streaming gin not yet being an option!)
Here are the chart-toppers from the world of gin in 2020:
#1 PINK GIN
Marie Jeanne’s Pink Gin
Combining flavours of rich red berries with a zingy hit of lime, this blushing pink gin is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. This Lincolnshire-produced spirit is so delicious that we chose it as one of our series of Discovery Gins for our members. They agreed, ordering this lovely tipple on our shop in droves, seeing it soaring to the top of our ginny charts!
Discover more about Marie Jeanne’s Pink Gin here (including some delicious serving suggestions) or swing by our shop to order a bottle and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
Honorary mentions: Queen Mary 1689 Pink Gin and Manchester Gin Raspberry Infused.
#1 FLAVOURED GIN:
Fox’s Kiln Blood Orange
Another of our Discovery Gins, this fantastic blood orange gin was the best-selling flavoured gin on our shop (excluding pink gins) from 2020, and it’s easy to see why: made with no artificial flavourings at all, just Fox’s Kiln signature spirit, which has been macerated in mounds of real, fresh blood orange peel for a whole week to absorb all of this amazing citrus fruit’s flavour. Find out more about this superb spirit (including our favourite serving suggestions) or visit our shop to order a bottle while stocks last.
Honorary mentions: Warner's Honeybee Gin and Tarquin’s Blackberry Gin.
#1 DISCOVERY GIN:
Schofe’s Christmas Gin
We were beyond thrilled to team up with our beloved Craft Gin Club ambassador, Phillip Schofield, to create a Craft Gin Club exclusive festive edition we imaginatively called Schofe’s Christmas Gin!
Fruity, warming and full of all the fragrant spices we love to associate with Christmas, this is a delicious tipple that we’re so proud to have developed here at Craft Gin Club. Read our interview with Phil where he talks about our collaboration with him to come up with this fantastic gin, or pop over to our shop to snag a bottle of this limited -edition spirit.
Honorary mentions: Three Wrens Apple Crumble Gin and Cherry Moon Gin.
So there you have it! All the winners from the Big Gin Awards 2020, plus some ginny chart-toppers from the past twelve months. Which ones have you tried? Are you surprised at the results, or did all your favourites scoop an award? We want to hear what YOU think! Let us know over on Facebook!
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