Bareksten and Kind recognised for the best spirits of 2022 at London Spirits Competition

Bareksten and KIND have come home from the 2022 London Spirits Competition with a total of four prestigious awards in recognition of the all-conquering merits of Bareksten Navy Strength Gin.

The LSC assesses all spirits entered in terms of three criteria: quality, value and packaging. The judges capped an outstanding night for Bareksten Navy Strength Gin with the award of four of the top accolades: Best Spirits of The Year 2022, Best Spirits of The Year by Quality, Best Spirits of The Year by Package, and last, but not least, Best Gin of The Year 2022.

Held in London each spring, the London Spirits Competition (LSC) draws its esteemed judges from “some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants, bars and hotels such as the Ritz, Le Manoir, Gleneagles, the Goring, the Connaught, and Claridge’s.” All entrants are judged on quality, value and packaging, and scored on a 100-point scale. Spirits that score 90+ points receive a Gold medal, while those scoring 76-89 points receive a Silver medal. Bronze medals are awarded to spirits that rate between 65-75 points.

Oliver Eardley, bartender at the iconic Savoy Hotel, noted that when it comes to buying spirits, “packaging makes a world of difference.” According to Eardley: “Simply put, if it doesn’t look good it won’t sell. It is extremely important for premium spirits to look good. All these little details count, so if your bottle is a unique shape or the label is particularly lovely, people will notice, and often take photographs so they can buy it for themselves when they get home.”

This year, the LSC attracted 447 entries from the UK, which was top entrant country, followed by 323 entries from Australia and 160 from the USA. With a total of 771 gins entered, gin was the top drinks category followed by whisky and rum. While some competitions evaluate packaging as a separate category, the LSC incorporates it into the overall evaluation of a spirit.

Tom Emil Olsen, CEO and Chief Creative Director at KIND, commented: “Winning a total of four awards at the London Spirits Competition underlines the pulling power of outstanding packaging when combined with a high quality, high value product. Working with the team at Barkesten, we have ensured that Bareksten Navy Strength Gin is a genuine world beater.”