A new distillery has won a prestigious international award for its first spirit, just months after launching.
Edwards 1902 premium vodka, from Elsham Wold Distillery, has been celebrated at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
It picked up the Silver Spirit 2020 Award, scoring 92 out of a possible 100 on a double-blind taste test.
The expert judging panel described it as “a sweet, clean and cooling spirit with mineral notes and an earthy depth”.
It is the earth of North Lincolnshire brought to the fore, with a century’s old potato growing experience being put to use.
Launched in February, the debut vodka takes its name from the King Edward variety grown, and the year it began.
Matthew Hamilton, co-founder and distiller, said: “We are delighted that Edwards 1902 has been recognised by such a respected, international organisation in its debut year.
“Receiving an award from the IWSC will give customers the confidence to discover the great taste of Edwards 1902, knowing that it has passed meticulous tests of quality and taste and outscored more established vodka brands.
Most Read
“It also makes us even more proud to represent both sustainable British farming and the county of Lincolnshire.”
Produced just a few miles from the farms where its main ingredient is cultivated, the small but highly skilled team take great pride in their craft and control the whole process themselves, from soil to spirit. Richard Arundel, who heads up supermarket-supplying AKP in Elsham, is the driving force behind it, pulling the partners and expertise together.
Several bars, independent retailers and farm shops are now stocking the distinctively-bottled spirit and the team said positive feedback has been flooding in via social media, including an Instagram story from DJ and music producer, Jax Jones.
Elsham Wold Distillery has recently returned to production having switched to sanitiser to help the Covid-19 effort.
Founded more than 50 years ago, the IWSC is acknowledged as one of the highest honours in the drinks industry. Renowned for its tightly structured, rigorous tasting process, the judging is made up of a group of carefully selected, expert panellists.
Hundreds of samples from around the world are tasted in pre-poured, numbered glasses to ensure the bottle is never seen by the judging committee. Each spirit is then judged by the panel in sync, and any spirits scoring 90 and above enter the second stage to be re-tasted for final confirmation.