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INTERNATIONAL GIN PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY, SPONSORED BY THE GIN GUILD:
HERNÖ GIN
Based in the village of Dala, just outside the city of Härnösand in the province of Angermanland, Hernö Gin was founded in 2011 by master distiller Jon Hillgren. It was Sweden’s first dedicated gin distillery and the world’s most northerly.
Staying true to its Swedish roots, the distillery is built in a traditional Swedish manner, with wood painted in red and white. All of its spirits are certified organic and produced using eight botanicals sourced from around the world, including Swedish lingonberries, cassia from Indonesia, vanilla from Madagascar and juniper berries from Hungary.
Hernö’s core range includes four expressions: a London Dry Gin; an Old Tom gin; a 57% ABV navy-strength gin; and a juniper cask-aged gin. Its cask-aged gin is left to mature in 40-litre casks made from juniper wood for 30 days before being bottled at 47% ABV. Hillgren believes juniper wood carries more flavour than oak, with Hernö’s juniper cask-aged gin the first of its kind when it was launched in 2013.
This year saw the launch of its limited-edition Swedish Rose gin, released in partnership with independent gin bottler That Boutique-y Gin Company. The gin, which took home the IWSC London Dry Gin Trophy this year, is made by ageing neutral spirit in a juniper cask and combining it with dried rose petals, reducing the use of meadowsweet and lingonberry botanicals, and then blending it with a proportion of juniper cask-aged gin.
VODKA PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY:
PURITY VODKA
Purity Vodka was founded in 2002 in Scania, Sweden, by master blender Thomas Kuuttanen (pictured).
Its vodka is produced in small batches and distilled 34 times using a still, made from copper and gold, housed at the 13th century Ellinge Castle in southern Sweden. The unusual still has a mash volume of 600 litres, with the resulting spirit coming off at 96% abv unfiltered. It is then blended with deionised mineral water to reduce it to 40% abv. Purity Vodka uses natural ingredients and is certified as organic in Europe and the US.
“During the thirty-four distillations, 90% of the liquid is lost,” says Kuuttanen. “The remaining spirit is so refined that no filtration is necessary, leaving all the natural flavours and character in the vodka.”
Backing up Kuuttanen is David Szydlik, who was appointed as Purity’s new president and chief executive officer earlier this year, taking over the role from Brian Citron. For the past eight years Szydlik has held multiple roles at Pernod Ricard, including business-unit director southwest and national director of sales operations and planning, as well as his most recent role as director of chains. Before joining Pernod Ricard Szydlik held various management positions with Molson Coors and Coca- Cola Enterprises.
The distiller was not only named Vodka Producer of the Year at this year’s competition but was also awarded the Vodka Trophy in recognition of its Purity Vodka 51, described by judges as a “full-bodied” vodka that “rounds off with a
refreshing touch of citrus” on the finish.
International Gin Producer shortlist
 Blackwater Distillery
 De Kuyper Royal Distillers  Distillerie Combier
 Distillery Botanica Pty Ltd  Hernö Gin
Vodka Producer shortlist
 Purity Vodka
 Prodal 94
 Lignell & Piispanen  Distell
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