Maria Florence Perez
07/08/2021 7:55 AM
Clarín.com
Gourmet
Updated 07/08/2021 7:57 AM
For the first time,
three
Argentine artisan
gin
labels
were recognized with a
gold medal
in the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).
Gold is
the highest distinction
in this competition where 86 distillate producing countries participated and 80 industry experts tasted more than 1,000 gins samples from around the world in London.
In total, there were 14 distinguished national brands, (among gold, silver and bronze)
, a number that expresses the boom in the production of this distillate in these latitudes but that also shows
an outstanding quality level even by international standards.
The gins that earned the highest honors (and a score of
98 out of 100
) have something in common.
Alma Gin, Andes Gin and Runa Craft Gin are “children of the pandemic”.
Like many other labels during that period, they emerged as a hobby or as an economic survival strategy.
According to estimates by Matías Jurisich, bartender and creator of the virtual encyclopedia of Argentine gin www.vivaelgin.com.ar,
"there are currently about 260 artisan labels while before the confinement there were about 20 on the market and as many to come out
.
"
Alma gin, one of the award winners in London.
According to this expert, this exponential growth has several explanations.
In the first place,
the facility in our country to obtain tools (such as stills) and raw materials (such as alcohol)
to make this distillate.
Also the fact that it is a
drink that is consumed in easy-to-prepare drinks such as the unbeatable
gin and tonic.
“In the pandemic, the youngest had to leave the pre-shows and the clubs where they mostly drank vodka, and gin began to grow a lot among that audience.
The consumption of one drink was replaced by another ”, explains Jurisich.
At a quantitative level, the jump of this distillate in Argentina is irrefutable.
The impact on the qualitative dimension is expressed by the results of the contest (IWSC): “For the award-winning brands this is very important from a marketing point of view because it positions them on sales issues.
And on a social level,
in our country it serves to break the myth that the national distillate is not of good quality.
This is an assessment that gives a halo of prestige ”, assures the specialist.
How are the Argentine gins awarded with gold medals
“Born in Pilar, awarded in the world”, this is how
Alma gin
is promoted
on its social networks. This distinguished London Dry in the city that gives its name to this type of gin,
emerged as a hobby for Fernando Cao, a lawyer who loves distilled beverages.
Sleepless, during the first days of confinement, he decided to train and start this hobby that is no longer such to become a business.
“It is a very friendly gin,
whoever has a prepared palate can even drink it on its own.
It has a great presence of juniper and also a very pleasant citrus profile.
It is silky on the palate ”, describes its creator.
Alma gin is distributed in wine bars in Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mendoza, Mar del Plata and Córdoba.
It is also sold online and is
worth $ 1,700.
The jury of the contest highlighted the fruity flavor of
Runa Craft Gin Arándanos
, another of the labels distinguished with gold.
"This was born as a garage company, in my house," says Gabriel Alonso,
a gastronomic entrepreneur from Lanús "very hit during the pandemic"
whose strategy was to differentiate himself with blueberry notes.
Runa, the award-winning gin in London that was born in a garage in Lanús.
Currently the sale is exclusively online although it is already in negotiations with distributors.
In view of the repercussion that the awards are having,
his next goal is to produce 3,000 bottles per month.
The price of this gin is
$ 1,200.
It also produces a classic gin and a passion fruit and honey gin.
Another of the winners is Andes Gin, the work of two friends from Mendoza
, Bruno Castillo (an oenology student) and Tomás Pawly, who distilled their own drink to go to rest in the mountains.
“Sending samples to the most prestigious competition in Europe emerged as a game, a challenge, since we were very proud of the quality that we had achieved,
the sensory profile faithfully reflects being in the Cordillera de Los Andes
”, explains Pawly.
This gin, which according to its creators has "herbaceous, wild and balsamic edges that combine with the freshness of the Patagonian juniper",
is not yet marketed.
The short-term project is to produce less than 200 bottles to sell through networks.
"The process is very traditional, we macerate and distill each botanical individually and we take the time to 'blended' to perfection, since the expression of each botanical changes depending on the time of year where it was collected," they detail Clarín.
The sale price will be $ 3,200
and it will be delivered nationwide.
The other awarded Argentine gins
Silver medal
-Forest gin (92 points)
-Argentina Wild gin (92 points)
-Raven Clan Distillery Malaria Gin (90 points)
-Covent American Dry Gin (90 points)
-Tapaus Terrier Old Tom Gin (90 points)
Bronze medal
-Patagonian Distillery Gina Patagonian Dry Gin
-Destileria Espiritu Zorro Kunuk 5973 Mendoza Craft Gin
-Alchemist London Dry Gin
-Tapaus Terrier Spicy London Dry Gin
-Sur Gin - Southern Distillery
-Gin Pla
Look also
World Gin Day: 10 classic and original drink recipes to prepare at home
14 Argentine wines won gold medals at the IWC international competition
