Itchenor gin company wins international recognition

Husband and wife Graham and Gail Woolston’s Brilliant Gin was awarded an Outstanding Silver in the best gin category of the prestigious competition.

The couple run the company from Itchenor and speaking about the shock award, Graham said: “We are absolutely over the moon to get this level of validation at international level.

“We think our gin is truly outstanding and it’s so good to know that professionals within the industry do too.”

The prestigious awards, founded in 1969, recognise the very best wines and spirits from all over the world, and Brilliant Gin also bagged silver and bronze awards for the best gin and tonic and the best packaging respectively.

“We are very new to the market and are absolutely over the moon at these results,” director Gail said about the award, announced last Thursday, July 23.

“An IWSC medal is proof of quality and we are confident that this recognition from acknowledged experts within the industry will prove to be the springboard for our growth and future success.”

The couple say a fondness for a good gin and tonic at the end of the working day led them to discussions over the possibilities of making a spirit of their own.

They began to see the project as a new business venture, and started working with a highly respected, eighth generation distiller, who guided them through the intricate steps of the distillation process.

Much fun was had testing, tasting and sampling a heady mix of botanicals before they finally produced a gin which met their exacting requirements.

Combining ten top quality botanicals from the very best producers, the couple describe the resulting gin as ‘full and flavourful, complex but not complicated’.

Launched recently at The Cowdray Gold Cup, Brilliant Gin is already making a real name for itself and is available in several local hostelries and Majestic Wine shops in both Sussex and Hampshire.

“Made for the spirited, our Brilliant Gin is fashioned for the adventurous souls who require a dash of distinctiveness when they drink,” Graham added.

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