The London Spirits Competition, created by the Beverage Trade Network, highlights and recognizes top-quality spirits that offer both the trade and the consumer great value for money.
The London Spirits Competition rewards spirits that are made well, taste great, offer excellent value for money, and stand out on the shelf with their original packaging.
Winners are those who stand out for Quality, Packaging and Value.
Judging Criteria
To win a London Spirits Competition award you need to score highly in all three areas of the judging criteria. You might have outstanding quality spirits, but if the price and packaging are not right then you don’t, in commercial terms, have a winning spirits brand and you will not be recognized by the London Spirits Competition. That is why the London Spirits Competition is decided based on the following judging formula, making it a more relevant global spirits competition:
Quality Score (Q) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) =
London Spirits Competition Score
A separate weighted score is given for each of the three parts of the judging process (Quality gets twice the weight). The scores are then calculated with other judges for the same product on the team to give a final score from which individual prizes are awarded.
Quality Score: marked out of 100
Value Score: marked out of 100
Package Score: marked out of 100
Our Result
It was our first time entering the London Spirits Competition and we submitted both our small batch single-grain organic Estonian vodkas – VON EST Sangaste Rye & VON EST Winter Wheat.
We were pleased to score well — at 87 and 82 points respectively — and win two silver medals. Receiving independent expert opinion that we make high quality spirits, offering fair value, in appealing packaging, was great recognition of our efforts.
Getting the highest score for an organic vodka, and Estonian spirit in any category, was an extra bonus.
Event Highlights Video
Official Press Release
Manor Spirits wins Silver medals at the 6th London Spirits Competition for its VON EST vodkas, which took place in London on March 22, 23 and 24, 2023. The medal is an ultimate endorsement in the global spirits industry.
VON EST scored highly in the three judging aspects of quality, value and packaging.
The London Spirits Competition stands apart from other spirits competitions by awarding spirits for their drinkability. Where other competitions focus solely on technical competence and distilling prowess, the London Spirits Competitions goes further to evaluate a spirit for its all-around excellence – in the way it tastes, looks and the value it provides. They believe that this golden triangle makes spirit drinkers more likely to buy and drink the spirit either from a retail store or at a bar or restaurant and want to laud this.
CEO Sid Patel of event organizer Beverage Trade Network mentions that “Spirits brand consumers are looking for a comprehensive experience when drinking a spirit. The spirit needs to hit all the right notes to be enjoyed again and again. So, at the London Spirits Competition, we evaluate spirits that contribute to a spirit’s overall drinkability. Along with the quality, spirits are also assessed for their appearance and value.”
The judging panel of 2023 was drawn from the leading spirits industry professionals with direct commercial buying responsibility. This establishes the winners at the competition to be agreeable to the on-premise trade and consumer alike. Spirits were judged on the basis of three primary criteria – quality, value and packaging – and then scored on a 100-point scale. Spirits that scored 90+ points were awarded Gold medals, those that scored 76 to 89 points were awarded Silver medals, whilst Bronze medals were awarded to spirits that score between 65 to 75 points.
“The extremely qualified judges, the chance to compete with thousands of excellent spirits from around the world and the stringent judging criteria of quality, value and packaging makes an award from the London Spirits Competition a coveted one. We are pleased that our VON EST vodka performed so well at the competition.” said Manor Spirits. “These Silver medals demonstrate that the spirits we are making are the kind that bar managers and mixologists want to stock and spirits drinkers enjoy drinking.”
Full Competition Results
See the full list of medal winners at the London Spirits Competition 2023 results webpage.
Our Detailed Results
See below for our medals, along with judges’ scorecards and tasting notes:
VON EST Sangaste Rye Organic Estonian Vodka
Score for London Spirits Competition 2023
87 Points – Silver Medal
Tasting Notes
A vodka with flavors and aromas of spice, lemon and pepper on nose and palate with a smooth finish and light body.
VON EST Winter Wheat Organic Estonian Vodka
Score for London Spirits Competition 2023
82 Points – Silver Medal
Tasting Notes
A vodka with amazing cereal notes on both the nose and palate with violet coming through on the mid palate with a smooth and long finish.
Family-run independent organic spirits producer that marries craft with heritage. Distilling has taken place in Estonia since 1485. In 1765 Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, granted Baltic-German nobles a monopoly on it. Manors in the region grew by making their own spirits in small batches. We continue this tradition.
