Cape Town – Distell has been crowned best distiller of the year for 2015 at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.
The company took the Best Worldwide Brandy trophy for the Van Ryn's 12 Year Old potstill made using the traditional technique of Cognac, while the Best Worldwide Whisky trophy was awarded to the Three Ships Single Malt 10 Year Old.
"We are enormously proud of these achievements and the confidence they convey in the intrinsic quality of our products,” says Distell's primary production director Johan Venter.
“It's a great mark of affirmation to attain the IWSC distinction in what is essentially a peer-reviewed competition and it speaks to the extensive expertise and teamwork behind our brands,” he said.
The IWSA is one of the biggest global spirits competitions and its credibility lies in the fact that all submissions are assessed blind, with the expert panels unaware of what they are tasting except by category.
To achieve a gold medal, entries have to earn a score of at least 90 points out of 100 and be considered standard-setters.
Three Ships is made at Distell's James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington and Van Ryn’s distillery is situated along the banks of the Eerste River near Stellenbosch.