Eden Mill St Andrews, the independent distiller, has been awarded one of the top accolades and a duo of gold medals at The Global Spirits Masters.
The 2023 release of Eden Mill’s annual ‘Art of St Andrews’ collection was awarded the Master medal during this year’s The Design & Packaging Masters, where The Guard Bridge was also awarded silver. The distillery’s Love Gin and Golf Gin were both given a gold medal in The Gin Masters 2023.
Both competitions are part of the internationally renowned The Global Spirits Masters series which rates and rewards excellence in spirits production.
The Global Spirits Masters launched in 2018 and consists of 14 separate competitions to ensure each spirit category is given the utmost attention by specialised judges, including journalists, retail buyers, bartenders and educators.
Both The Guard Bridge and Art of St Andrews are two of Eden Mill’s 2023 releases and are heavily influenced by the distillery’s provenance.
For this year’s Art of St Andrews release – which features in a series of annual expressions designed to celebrate the creativity of local artists – Eden Mill joined forces with Fife-based illustrator Jill Calder to design a bespoke art creation celebrating the local surroundings of St Andrews and Guardbridge.
Jill’s stunning artwork drew inspiration from the beautiful flora and fauna of the Eden Estuary, the iconic coastline and the striking silhouette of Eden Mill’s new distillery building.
The design of The Guard Bridge packaging and the myriad shades of blue and teal is inspired by the tidal ebb and flow of the Eden Estuary – the site of Eden Mill’s new distillery and visitor centre where it will continue to produce its own single malts and premium gins from 2024.
The cut down the centre of the bottle label reflects the path of the River Eden as it winds its way through Fife, past Guardbridge and on to St Andrews.
Hannah Ingram, head of marketing at Eden Mill said: “For the design of two of our new products to be recognised in these awards is a fantastic achievement for Eden Mill.
“The packaging and bottle design of both The Guard Bridge and Art of St Andrews 2023 were meticulously thought through and are intrinsically linked with our hometown and its surrounding areas.
“I must also thank and congratulate Jill for her wonderful Art of St Andrews design. Her bespoke art creation is truly beautiful, reimagining the stunning scenery, animals and nature of our hometown in her striking, contemporary style.”
Within The Gin Masters, Eden Mill’s Love Gin and Golf Gin competed against 159 entries from 80 different brands. These spirits form part of the distillery’s core range of gins, alongside its Original Gin and Red and White Wine Cask Aged Gins.
The distinctive flavours of Eden Mill’s gins are also inspired by the Fife coastline and St Andrews itself, with its Golf Gin incorporating ingredients that can be spotted around local grassland and coastal golf courses in Scotland, including a seaweed base with Scottish heather. The gin features hints of juniper as well as lavender and spruce trees and has a distinct peppery finish, described by the judges as “an excellent example of a London Dry”.
The Eden Mill Love Gin is a lightly sweet pink gin featuring the taste of rhubarb spice and sweet strawberries with vanilla, finishing with green apple citrus and a hint of rose water.
“We’ve worked extremely hard over the years to amplify our gin range, so to be awarded gold for two of our products is wonderful. We hope that the awards highlight the quality and flavour of our gins to our existing supporters and new ones too,” added head distiller at Eden Mill, Scott Ferguson.
