Monster Energy is continuing an ongoing partnership with seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton with the launch of a zero-sugar version. The story behind the drink is among its many appealing factors, according to marketing director Gary McLoughlin, who started up the Glendalough Distillery in 2011 with three friends who all worked in the drinks industry. It started out as a whiskey business and moved into gin later. They were looking to pay homage to an original corn wine or genever bottle in the original bottle design. The label features a signature drill bit that would have been used by the Blood Monkeys! How does Blood Monkey Gin taste Conncullin is a big and bold gin, bursting with flavour: wild fruits, juniper and citrus peel with subtle spice. Palmer Group also collected a Master medal for Onyx Crystal Gin, which was described a “really good classic gin”. Downpour – Scottish Dry Gin took a Master medal after impressing the panellists with its potential to “make some great thirst-quenching drinks”. The Melbourne Gin Company took home a Master medal for MGC Single Shot Gin, liked for “bags of juniper on the nose”. The judges also raved about the “big floral and Kola Kube nose” of Master medallist Lindwurm Gin – Sommer Edition. Master-winning Shortcross Gin was also highly praised for having “bold, punchy flavours on the palate”, while Aczu Gin was found to be “very herbaceous with a higher ABV that holds well”, and therefore also deserving of a spot in the Master ranks.

Preparation: Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with rosemary and candied ginger. Copperpenny 005 was also found to meet the Master criteria, delivering a “good hit of juniper” on the nose, with “pink peppercorns and sansho on the finish”. And Wabi Sabi Gin also won the top accolade for its “bomb of a palate, with horseradish, some woody notes and a lovely sweetness”. Deserving entriesAs might be expected, it is juniper-forward, but also has interesting green herbal notes. It's crisp and fresh on the palate with a long smooth finish." There was also no shortage of Silver medallists in the London Dry category, with 29 Silver awards given, including to Brighton Pavilion Strength, Boomsma Dry Gin, Gibson’s London Dry Gin, and Malfy Originale. Another double-Master win was collected by Atom Brands, which won the awards for Jaffa Cake Gin, found to be “fun, chocolatey, and moreish”, and Bathtub Gin Grapefruit & Rosemary, described as “being obviously grapefruit and rosemary, with a very ‘ginny’ palate”. Subtle tartness Generally, the judges were impressed with the standard presented in the super-premium round. Kennard said: “These were solid examples of gin, with some interesting experimentation going on. You want some experimentation in the category, holding true to its definition; you still get juniper in them.

In the Old Tom category, a pair of Master-worthy gins were sipped and savoured. Eccentric Spirit Co demonstrated its Master qualities with Young Tom, which had notes of “lemon sherbet, anise and caraway finish”. Kennard was taken by the “breadth of different experimentation” – “in a good way,” he said. “Producers are experimenting but in a controlled way, integrating the alcohol to make it exciting.” Etsu Pacific Ocean Water also collected a Master medal in this heat for being “salty, interesting, and playful for bartenders”, while Dark Series Oyster Shell Gin gained a Master medal for its notes of “lemon verbena, fresh green meadow herbs, dill, and Szechuan peppercorn”. Native Ground, from Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, took a Master award for notes of “warm baking spices, good balanced and complexity”. Shortcross Citrus Drizzle Gin was praised for being “bright, sweet, with some zesty fresh lemon peel”. As with the standard Blood Monkey gin, he suggests you serve it neat with ice, or straight from the freezer. “Alternatively, we have found a number of complimentary ingredients that work well, including ginger beer (such as Bundaberg), but not ginger ale. We are trying to be overtly masculine as opposed to going down the pink gin route. It is not for the faint-hearted.” A trio of Silver medallists – Gargano Sloe Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, and Bareksten Sloe Gin – completed the round. While the judges enjoyed the selection of medal winners, they yearned for bolder flavours.

The huge number of gins entered in our annual blind-tasting competition showed just how popular this category is, so much show that for the second year we have split the judging into two sessions. Who were the medal winners in this year’s Gin Masters blind tasting? The following flight – Cask-Aged – presented a selection of gins that had been rested in barrels after distillation. Two Master-worthy gins were noted in this round, the first of which was Hernö Juniper Cask Gin. The gin was celebrated for its “aquavit-like nose” and “well-integrated, long finish”. Grand Crew Cask-Aged Irish Gin also won a Master award for being “still recognisable as gin”, with “slight hints of oak and vanilla to add complexity”. Rademon Estate Distillery won two Masters across Ultra-Premium and Contemporary while Lough Ree won one for its Cask-Aged Gin.