The World Gin Awards 2024, Icons of Gin plus new Gin Hall of Fame inductees were announced at a gala dinner in London.
From brand ambassadors and communicators to distillers and visitor attractions, the Icons of Gin awards honour those who have worked tirelessly for the growth of the industry. Among the 2024 winners were Laura Pearce of North Point Distillery, who was named Brand Ambassador of the Year, and Jon Hillgren of Hernö Gin, who took home Master Distiller/Master Blender of the Year.
Meanwhile, the World Gin Awards commend the best gins in the world, tasted and voted on by a panel of expert judges to decide the World’s Best. This year’s winners include Gale Force Gin for World’s Best London Dry Gin, Ohoro Gin for World’s Best Classic Gin, and Maral for World’s Best Sloe Gin.
Induction into the Gin Hall of Fame is reserved for those who have dedicated their professional lives to the gin industry. This year, three new inductees have been welcomed: Emma Stokes, Xavier Baker, and Cameron Mackenzie.
David T Smith, chair of judges for the World Gin Awards and Icons of Gin, added: “This year’s judging took place in person at locations in the US, Canada, Germany, and the UK, bringing together both the camaraderie and expertise of judges from around the world. This makes the World Gin Awards a truly global competition and helps to encourage and strengthen the international gin community in the process.
One geographical area that stood out is the USA, which, with its long tradition of distilling, has outperformed in this year’s competition. Despite that, gin still sits far behind vodka, whiskey, and tequila in terms of popularity in the US, so there’s still plenty of room for growth.
Australia and Japan continued to do well, too, alongside another highlight: Wales. Wales has been producing high-quality gin for a number of years, but, this year, the proficiency of production has been particularly prominent.
The aim of the Icons of Gin Awards is to celebrate the achievements of outstanding people and places in the global gin industry, including distilleries and their staff, and industry communicators.
Inductee no. 18, Emma Stokes, is a gin communicator and judge who is best known by her handle Gin Monkey. Alongside running her popular social media channels, she is the global organiser of World Gin Day. She is also a former Communicator of the Year in the Icons of Gin.
Inductee no. 19, Xavier Baker, is co-founder of the Isle of Wight Distillery, producer of Mermaid Gin. Xavier’s hometown pride has inspired him to create a sustainably sourced product and a distillery that supports local community efforts.
Inductee no. 20, Cameron Mackenzie, is co-founder and master distiller of Australian gin distillery Four Pillars. Starting out in wine making, Cameron changed direction and co-created Australia’s first gin-focused distillery in 2013. Four Pillars is now a global brand that focuses on making gin with ingredients native to Australia.
Below is the full list of the winners:
Icons of Gin 2024: Winners and Highly Commended
Brand Ambassador
Laura Pearce, North Point Distillery
Highly Commended
James May, Asian Parsnip
Distillery Manager
Heather Ricker, North Point Distillery
Highly Commended
Kirra Daley, Beachtree Distilling Co.
Innovation Manager
Laurent Marchal and Bregt Langendries, Explogins
Master Distiller/ Master Blender
Jon Hillgren, Hernö Gin
Highly Commended
Christian Krogstad, Cobblestone Brands
Hakon Hovdenak, Hovdenak Distillery
Production Team
The Team, Four Pillars Distillery
Highly Commended
The Team, North Point Distillery
Sales Team
The Team, Asian Parsnip
Sustainability Officer
Michelle Hall, Four Pillars Distillery
Visitor Attraction Manager
Scott Gauld, Four Pillars Distillery
Highly Commended
Steen Lerche-Jensen, The Hope Distillery
Brand Innovator
KO Klub Gin & Mara Gin
Craft Producer
Beachtree Distilling Co.
Distiller
Hernö Gin
Sustainable Distillery
Hovdenak Distillery
Visitor Attraction
Archie Rose Distilling Co.
Campaign Innovator
Prohibition Liquor Co.
Brand & Packaging Design Agency
Knockout
Communicator
Vanessa Piromallo, That’s The Spirit
World Gin Awards 2024: World’s Best
World’s Best Classic Gin
Niseko Distillery – Ohoro Gin
World’s Best Compound Gin
Grinlandonus – Potus Energeticus
World’s Best Contemporary Style Gin
Toca Vida – Gin
World’s Best Colour-Changing Gin
Wolfpack – Moonlight Gin
World’s Best Flavoured Gin
Barossa – Shiraz Gin
World’s Best Genever
Filliers – Barrel Aged Genever 21 Years Old
World’s Best London Dry Gin
Triple Eight – Gale Force Gin
World’s Best Matured Gin
Lost Dutchman – Cask Aged Gin
World’s Best Navy Gin
Hernö Gin – Navy Strength
World’s Best Old Tom Gin
Four Pillars – Rare Old Tom
World’s Best Signature Botanical
Christian Drouin – Le Gin Para
World’s Best Sloe Gin
Maral – Sloe Gin
World’s Best Gin Design
Cygnet 22
Best New Launch Design
Jiao-Y – Dry Gin
Best Secondary Outer Packaging Design
Mallard Point – Premium London Dry Gin
Best Bottle Design
Cygnet 22
Best Label Design
Yuzilla Black Gin – The King Of Citrus Gins
Best Range Design
Sky Wave – Range
Gin Hall of Fame Inductees 2024
Emma Stokes
Xavier Baker
Cameron Mackenzie
