AKER founder Ian Bayliss said: “England has an incredible history of craftsmanship and talent and we want to celebrate that through the fantastic produce we have right on our doorstep. The best of the bunch are bestowed with a Master medal, meaning they scored above 90 points. Gold and Silver medals are also awarded. All staff at the company, which employs about 60 people in the UK and 10 in Singapore, will join Teneo with Grant taking the newly created role of chairman of Teneo’s UK strategy and communications business. Lord Andrew Feldman, Tulchan’s managing partner, will become vice-chair.

A UNIQUE SENSORIAL EXPERIENCE - Tulchan™ Gin offers sweet pine complemented by whimsical floral notes of chamomile, sage and soft citrus, rounded out with jammy sloe berries and a hint of winter spice. The result is a perfect balance of gentle juniper notes and subtle orange blossom. The exotic flavours of the marula fruit gives it a unique twist.The Estate, in Speyside near Grantown-on-Spey on the banks of the River Spey, is surrounded by incredible views of lochs, moors and glens. The 22,000-acre Tulchan Estate is mainly a sporting ground, but it comes with fine dining, spa facilities and stunning accommodation options. The whisky had “mushroom notes on the nose; spicy, sweet and tangy on the palate”. One judge added: “Excellent mouthfeel and aftertaste for the high ABV.” The spirit is not chill filtered after distillation as this would remove a high proportion of essential oils from the gin, altering the flavour of the final liquid. Two panels of expert tasters were called upon to assess this year’s eclectic entries. Forming the first panel were: Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols; Anthony Callegari, Edition Hotel London bars manager; and Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters. To create the new serve, an infusion of blossoms, roots and spices are balanced with wormwood before, lastly, distilled Chapel Down Chardonnay grape skin distillate is added to enhance the flavour even further, designed for a longer, lighter drinking experience.

One judge liked the “playful nature” of this whisky, which had notes of “ripe green apple, honey blossom, and a silky-smooth palate”. Tulchan Gin™ is part of the Stoli Group portfolio of spirits brands and is distributed in the UK by Indie Brands, part of Amber Beverage Group and distributed globally through the Stoli Group. Tom Jones, Ultra Premium Spirits Ambassador, will be working with trade accounts and retailers to support the launch of the brand in the UK and around the world. Tom is based in Scotland and is a regular visitor to Tulchan Estate. The Tulchan Estate utilizes copper pot stills and chill filters its gin at 39.2°F to preserve the freshness of each botanical. A Taste of Tulchan Gin On the evening, Tulchan will be perfectly paired with a spectacular new vermouth from Verona, from Spiriti Artigiani. Capreolus Distillery founder Barney Wilczak said: “AKER is such an exciting project; the creation of a vermouth that elegantly connects us to the essence of the British countryside is something so incredibly special.”Old Tom Gin: There are no set guidelines for this style of gin, but it is sometimes sweetened with a bit of sugar or other botanicals, licorice is occasionally added, and it can be barrel aged (which is another style of gin in and of itself). Current examples of Old Tom gin come from Barr Hill in Vermont, Ransom in Oregon, and Hibrimi in Iceland.

To preserve those flavours, itis best served over ice with Indian tonic and a slice of fresh grapefruit. Lekker!! Every effort to admit latecomers will be made at a suitable break in the event, but admission cannot always be guaranteed. This is more of a lighter style of London Dry. The juniper shines on the nose but on the palate, it is not as strong as you might expect a London Dry to be. However, the flavour profile is nicely balanced. It is sweet and fruity followed by citrus and spices, doing a full circle with a fruity finish.We can’t help but take immediate notice of the striking blue bottle. According to Tulchan, the blue recalls the “open Tulchan

Fellow Master winner The Glenturret 15 Years Old offered a “lovely resinous quality” on the palate, with “warming spice, medjool dates and gingerbread”. “Super complex and balanced – very delicious,” the judges agreed. Two Gold awards were handed to The Glenturret 12 Years Old and The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked. Seven Scotch whiskies secured the top accolade But where this really wins the day for me is the finish, which is medium in length with those dreamy lemon peel tones.Moving onto sweeter spirits, and super‐ premium liqueur Tobago Gold grabbed the Master award. Athavia found this to be “super nostalgic, with so much milk malt – delicious”. In addition, Lemon Brothers’ Limoncello collected a Gold medal in the ultra‐premium liqueur heat, thanks to its “great concentration of flavour”. Andrew Grant, who founded Tulchan in 2000, is understood to control broadly half of the business, with the remainder split among 14 other partners. Sassenach Spirits is a division of the Great Glen Company, which was founded by Scottish actor Sam Heughan and American entrepreneur Alex Norouzi.