ALBERTA, Canada – Three Alberta craft distilleries have won Best in Country at the World Gin Awards in back-to-back years and have received more awards than any other Canadian province.
Last Best Brewing & Distilling, Gnu Craft Spirits, and Anohka Distillery each earned several awards in 2023, dominating Canada’s prestigious London Dry category, and taking home Best in Country awards in the Contemporary and London Dry categories. These coveted awards earn the distilleries prominence on the global stage and prestige for the rapidly growing industry in Alberta.
“Recognition at the World Gin Awards, especially sweeping the London Dry category, shows the high quality of talent within Alberta. This sets the stage for a promising local industry,” says owner and master distiller of Anohka Distillery, Gurpreet Ranu. “Lots of hard work before we even arrived in the Alberta craft spirits sector made it possible for the little guys like us to succeed. So many great products are coming out now and it’s exciting to be recognized as one of the best,” adds Darren Scott, one of the founders of Gnu Craft Spirits.
Gin has been experiencing a revival. With consumers growing interest in the craft beer and spirits movement, gin distillers are becoming increasingly imaginative with their use of botanicals and methods.
“Making great gin is not easy. Creativity allows the distiller to think big and be expressive, but balancing all the flavours takes skill and restraint,” says Last Best Brewing & Distilling’s master distiller, Bryce Parsons. “With the rise in cocktails over the past decade, gin shines. It’s a versatile spirit where each gin adds its own unique influence to any cocktail.”
The World Gin Awards are blind tasted and scored on aroma, flavour, finish, and other elements. The judges and organizers are gin experts with refined, worldly palettes acknowledging the variety of flavours found in gins across the globe. Over 30 countries are represented, with the top winner from each earning a chance at the title of World’s Best Gin in their respective categories.
Last Best Brewing & Distilling’s, Gnu Craft Spirits’, and Anohka Distillery’s award-winning gins are available at liquor retailers across Alberta. See below for a complete list of their World Gin Awards wins.
List of Awards Won:
Last Best Brewing & Distilling
Afterglow – Contemporary Style Gin, Country Winner and Gold – 2023, Country Winner – 2022
First Love – London Dry, Silver – 2023, Gold – 2022
Fortunella – Classic Gin, Bronze – 2023, 2022
Gnu Craft Spirits
The Gnu Normal – London Dry, Country Winner and Gold – 2023, Bronze – 2022
Anohka Distillery
Tempest Dry Gin – London Dry, Silver – 2023, Country Winner and Gold – 2022
Timeless Dry Gin – Contemporary Style Gin, Silver – 2023
