20 April 2022, GOLD and SILVER at San Francisco

The 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) just concluded, and the results are in! The Broken Heart Original Gin came away with a Gold Medal and the Queenstown Edition scooped a Silver Medal.

This is the first time we have entered these awards so to come out with a gold and silver is a huge achievement. At the SFWSC a gold medal is one that is recognised as an exceptional spirit that is near the pinnacle of achievement; these products set the standard for their categories. This is significant recognition for a home-based distillery based in the southern corner of the South Island of New Zealand.

Throughout four days of highly controlled blind tastings, the experienced judging panels taste every product to decide if it is medal-worthy. Judges do not receive any information on producer or price point, ensuring each spirit is judged fairly, equally, and without bias. While tasting, judges evaluate each product on an individual basis—not compared to other entries in the flight. During this stage, judges determine which entries are worthy of a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal.