A premium gin from Aberdeenshire has won a Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, considered one of the most influential spirits contests in the world.
HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’, created in 2018 by brothers Callum and Peter Sim of Raven Spirits Ltd, was one of a select number of gins from around the world to secure a Gold Medal in the competition.
The judging was held in downtown San Francisco in March, when the judging panel blind- tasted almost 3,000 entries from 65 countries, across more than 100 individual categories.
SFWSC states that Gold Medals are awarded to “exceptional spirits that are near the pinnacle of achievement and set the standard for their categories” and are a recognised symbol of quality.
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HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ has achieved incredible success since its launch less than a year ago, having previously won a Gold Medal at The Spirits Business’ Gin Masters competition in July 2018.
The SFWSC Gold Medal further endorses the brothers’ commitment to creating high-quality gin.
Callum and Peter believe the award can pave the way to continued expansion across the UK and open up opportunities into international markets.
Peter said: “We are so proud of HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ and are thrilled it has been recognised again on the global stage. The SFWSC Gold Medal is testament to our refusal to compromise on quality.
“We put considerable thought, care and focus into creating the very best spirits we can. It is important to both of us that everything that is created and produced by Raven Spirits is of the highest standard.”
HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ brings together a mix of traditional botanicals and its signature mandarin, to provide a modern slant to the classic London Dry Gin.
The hallmark of this award-winning premium gin is its lengthened taste and deep resonant citrus note. This creates an elegant and smooth spirit with delicate mandarin and a lingering warm spicy finish to give HRAFN GIN ‘Thought & Memory’ its remarkable flavour profile.
The inspiration for HRAFN GIN stems from a trip to Islay in 2017, when Callum and Peter, both whisky drinkers, visited the island’s distilleries.
Callum explained: “In addition to the whisky tours we also took one distillery’s gin tour. The still had just been emptied and the fragrance from the botanicals was remarkable.
“That evening, over a glass or two of single malt, our conversation turned to gin. We considered such things as the characteristics, the mix of botanicals and the taste profile of our ideal gin.”
The brand name, HRAFN, takes its inspiration from Callum’s life-long interest in Norse mythology and is pronounced “Ra-Vn” meaning Raven in Old Norse. It is Odin’s two ravens ‘Huginn’ and ‘Muninn’, which translates to ‘Thought’ and ‘Memory’ giving this expression its identity.
