We’re delighted to announce that Gyre & Gimble have won the IWSC 2023 UK Gin Producer Trophy, and Four Pillars the IWSC 2023 International Gin Producer Trophy, sponsored by The Gin Guild.

Gyre & Gimble

Gyre & Gimble began in late 2019 between two friends who worked together at a previous distillery. The idea of operating a creative and innovative cocktail bar that could transpire into the production of gin was the draw. The thought process was to highlight a ‘closed loop’ system, where waste from their distillery was used in their bar, to make it zero waste.

The judges were greatly impressed by Gyre & Gimble, not only are their products of course award winning, but they challenge the traditional flavours of gin, from their Pinot Noir Gin which took home a gold medal and 95 points, which uses waste pomace from wineries in the region near the Norfolk distillery to create a zero waste gin, to their Coastal Gin that received a silver medal, using foraged botanicals from the Norfolk Coast line.

The brand’s gins showcase their innovativeness, but what also caught the judges’ attention was their commitment to sustainability. They launched their cardboard bottle in 2022, working with a company based only 30 miles away from the distillery, and what is still the world’s only cardboard bottle.

As a company they have shown real tenacity and triumphed in the face of adversity. The inception of the brand was shortly followed by the most challenging time, Covid19, but the team worked hard and were able to come out the other side even bigger, with our judges commenting that “they weren’t just surviving but thriving”. The judges commended Gyre & Gimble’s commitment to their consumers, utilising their gin experiences and tastings as a way to directly interact with their customers and showcase their portfolio.

The panel  believe that Gyre & Gimble are a great example for others across the gin industry and

“that there is a lot to admire about this impressive team”.

Four Pillars:

Founded in 2013 by three friends, Four Pillars are no stranger to the IWSC’s International Gin Producer Trophy, this being the third year that the Australian gin brand has taken this trophy home.

Judges praised Four Pillars’ innovation, continually looking for the next big thing in gin. The judges commented that the brand “was doing something that gin category needs: collaborations”.

From collaborations with past IWSC winners, and also with winemakers. These collaborations showed real willingness to take risks but also to extend a hand to fellow brands. However, the brand doesn’t solely look to innovate within the drinks industry, they have also ventured into food “Made-from-Gin” items, the judges loved the continual thirst for innovation from botanical crackers to stillage-washed cheese, to name just a few.

A delicious way to reduce flavour waste. This isn’t the only way Four Pillars strive to remain sustainable, their forward thinking and want to do more has meant they have reduced their carbon footprint through their energy usage, packaging and waste products and are on track to achieve Carbon Neutral certification, which is why last year the IWSC awarded Four Pillars with their inaugural Green Spirit Initiative Trophy.

Four Pillars are ambassadors for gin, but also do so much for the welfare of their staff and the community of Melbourne, ensuring they are supporting the communities their craft depends on.

Our sponsors, The Gin Guild expressed the importance of this Trophy to them, as it rewards the very best in spirit quality, and Four Pillars definitely exemplifies excellence in gin. With 10 medals awarded to their gins in our 2023 Awards, including two gold medals with 98 points for their Bloody Underhill Vineyard Shiraz Gin and Single Barrel S36 Gin.

Congratulations to Four Pillars.