Judging Process & Judges
The Judging Process
The judging for each category of The Gin Guide Awards is carried out in independent blind tastings by expert Judges with experience across gin distillation, marketing, events, mixology, distribution, importing and retail - this achieves a comprehensive and widely relevant view of each entry. Each gin is scored against The Gin Guide's unique and rigorous scorecard system, with Judges focusing on carrying out unhurried and thorough assessments without time pressures or large volumes of tastings in single sittings. To avoid influence between judges there is no group judging, and to ensure maximum consistency there are clear criteria that must be adhered to. The unique scoring system considers key elements including:
Each gin is assessed independently and on its own merits. In blind tastings the only information provided to the Judges is the ABV, as this is considered to be valuable in providing the most useful feedback, whilst other details are considered to be surplus to requirements for judging or potentially unfairly influential to Judges' tastings. All entries are judged neat and Judges also sample entries with Lixir Tonic Water to best understand the quality and flavour profile and to provide further feedback for you. Sponsors of The Gin Guide Awards are excluded from the Judging Panel.
- Appearance, aroma, taste, balance, mouthfeel, finish, with Tonic Water (in selected categories) and overall appeal.
Each gin is assessed independently and on its own merits. In blind tastings the only information provided to the Judges is the ABV, as this is considered to be valuable in providing the most useful feedback, whilst other details are considered to be surplus to requirements for judging or potentially unfairly influential to Judges' tastings. All entries are judged neat and Judges also sample entries with Lixir Tonic Water to best understand the quality and flavour profile and to provide further feedback for you. Sponsors of The Gin Guide Awards are excluded from the Judging Panel.
The Judges
The Judges listed below are the full judging team involved in The Gin Guide Awards 2022 and we are delighted to already confirm that almost all of the Judges will be returning for The Gin Guide Awards 2023, with the addition of many exceptional new Judges too as the size of each judging panel is increased for 2023. The confirmed full judging team for the 2023 Awards will be presented on this page shortly and announced on The Gin Guide social media.
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Paul Jackson - Founder & Editor, The Gin Guide
A WSET Qualified professional, Paul brings in-depth knowledge of the gin industry, gin production and product development, having worked as a Consultant for gin brands, distilleries, events and bars across the world. Also a Chartered Marketer, Paul has a decade of experience in F&B branding, marketing strategy, events and retail. Instagram: @ginguidepaul |
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Jamie Baxter - Master Distiller & Distillery Consultant
Formerly of Chase Distillery, City of London Distillery and 45 West Distillers, Jamie is one of the most experienced and respected professionals in the industry, having now built over 70 distilleries as a Distillery Consultant, including projects in Europe, Africa and Asia for Craft Distilling Services. Jamie also consults brands in all areas from recipe development to strategy. Follow Jamie on Instagram: @jamiebaxter62 |
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Bernadette Pamplin - Spirits Writer & Judge
Bernadette is an established and experienced spirits writer and judge. She writes regularly for Gin Magazine, Distiller Magazine and Spirits Beacon and is a highly respected spirits judge for a wide range of spirits competitions across the world. Bernadette founded 'Under the Influence' in 2015, which began with gin but has now expanded to other spirits, cooking with spirits and will shortly be incorporating spirits related photography. Instagram: @undertheginfluence |
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Ivan Dixon - European Brand Manager, Procera Gin
Ivan has been a Wine and Spirits Judge for over 15 years, in the UK and internationally. His career began at Harvey Nichols, where he left as Spirits Buyer, before working for wholesaler Enotria&Coe as Head of Spirits. Ivan has since achieved the WSET diploma, managed numerous drinks projects and been at the forefront of drinks innovation and market leadership in the UK. In 2020 Ivan joined Procera Gin as a Co-Owner of the brand in a role as European Brand Manager. Follow Ivan on Instagram: @ivan_dixon |
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Bryan Rodriguez - Wine & Spirits Buyer, Harvey Nichols
Bryan is a wine & spirits buyer for luxury retailer Harvey Nichols. Bryan's career started 13 years ago while working in the kitchens of some of London's best restaurants, and this is where he started to develop his palate and appreciation of wine and spirits, eventually moving into the wine & spirits trade. Bryan holds the WSET Diploma as well as Sake Level 3. Follow Bryan on Instagram. |
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Tobias Gorn - Co-Founder & Senior Partner, International Drinks Specialists
Toby Gorn is an award-winning international wine and spirit writer and consultant and also one of the most experienced and in-demand drinks competition judges in the world. Toby is co-founder of the International Drinks Specialists – an award-winning global consultancy service with a group of top industry specialists working together in order to assist spirits producers and brand owners. Follow Toby on Instagram. |
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Sara Jane Eichler - Founder, Negroni Club UK & Aperitifs Curator, Spirits Beacon
Sara Jane is one of the leading experts on aperitifs, spirits and classic gin cocktails. As well as having a wealth of experience in running bars and developing exceptional spirits and cocktail menus, Sara Jane is the founder of Negroni Club UK and is the freelance Aperitifs Curator at Spirits Beacon. Follow Negroni Club UK on Instagram. |
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David T Smith - Contributing Editor of Gin Magazine, Consultant & Author
David T Smith is a spirits writer, consultant and author and has written books including The Gin Dictionary, Gin Tonica and Negroni. He judges for various international competitions and has worked on gin distilling projects across six continents. He is a member of the Gin Guild, Contributing Editor of Gin Magazine and host of the Craft Distilling Expo. Visit David's website and Instagram. |
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Raymond Clynick - Head Distiller & Managing Director, Oro Distilling
Ray is the Head Distiller at his family Distillery - Oro Distilling. Ray received a MSc in Chemistry and realised his true calling, going on to study a Masters in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University before establishing Oro Distillery in Scotland and creating and developing their spirits range. Follow Ray on Instagram. |
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Rosie Milsom - Head of NPD, Atom Brands
Rosie is a flavour enthusiast, spirits lover and self-confessed packaging geek, delighted by taste and beauty in all its forms. With more than 10 years of dedicated service at Atom Brands, taking ideas from simple concepts through to award-winning physical products, she is also a member of the Gin Guild and judges for spirits and packaging competitions, including Harpers Design, the IWSC and the American Distilling Institute. Follow Rosie on Instagram. |
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Siobhan Feeley - Distiller & Distillery Manager, Sacred Spirits
After 6 years of managing The Oliver Conquest, an award winning gin pub in east London, Siobhan Feeley went on to join Sacred Spirits as an apprentice distiller in 2017. She now has gained a full distiller title and controls the day to day running of multi-spirited brand Sacred distillery, as well as running all distillery events. Instagram: @siobhancfeeley |
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Martin & Natalie Reid - Founders, The Gin Cooperative
Martin and Natalie established The Gin Cooperative in 2017 as a business and platform that helps inspire, educate and encourage consumers and the trade to discover Scottish Gin. They have gone on to successfully launch and host International Scottish Gin Day, as well as their newly launched online gin store. Instagram: @the_gin_cooperative |
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Sarah Miller - Spirits Writer & Judge
Sarah is the founder of Gin A Ding Ding which launched in 2016. She is an experienced spirits Judge and also writes for Gin Magazine, Spirits Beacon and Club Oenologique. Shortlisted for the IWSC's Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication Award in 2022, Sarah also hosts the popular #GinADayMay. Read our interview with Sarah and also check out her Instagram: @gin_a_ding_ding |
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Victor de Benito - Head Distiller, East Side Distillery (India)
Victor has 8 years of experience in development, distilling, blending and bottling of spirits and wines. He spent 7 years working for London's largest distillery, including overseeing 120 lines of spirits from raw materials to the finished product, and now works as Head Distiller for Doja Gin, the world's first Indo-Japanese gin. Instagram: @distilling_life |
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Emma Godivala - Co-Founder, York Gin
Emma is one of the co-founders of York Gin and even drew the iconic cat and castle logo that appears on every bottle of York Gin. She is the key driver of York Gin’s sustainability efforts, including the refill bottle scheme at its shop. Emma holds the WSET Level 3 in Spirits and is a judge at the World Gin Awards and the World Whisky Awards. Instagram: @york_gin |
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Debbie Burgess - Consultant & Writer
Debbie founded her Instagram page @ginstaburge in 2017 after discovering her love for all things gin. From there she branched out into brand collaborations and event work, and has recently ventured into freelance consulting, writing and photography. Debbie is as passionate about the people and the story behind the brands as the products themselves, and prides herself on helping to amplify particularly in social media and influencer-based activity. |
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Paul Minea - Bars Manager, Great Scotland Yard Hotel
Having been General Manager at the award-winning Leafy Elephant, Paul has been highly commended in the Icons of Gin Awards and is now the Bars Manager at Great Scotland Yard Hotel, including opening a new bar inside the hotel. With a decade of experience in high end hospitality, combined with a vast knowledge of spirits and wine, Paul has developed and refined his palate to hone his mixology craft. Follow Paul on Instagram: @paul_minea. |
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Joe Webb - Founder, Joe's G&T
Joe discovered a passion for gin in 2020 and launched his Instagram account 'Joe's G&T' soon after. Joe set about tasting and assessing the world's finest gins, including past Winners in The Gin Guide Awards, and has become known and respected for his accessible, honest and helpful gin reviews on Instagram. Follow Joe on Instagram: @joesgandt |
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Andrew Gordon - Founder, The Gin Den & The Spirits Explorer
Andrew founded The Gin Den blog in 2018 and The Spirits Explorer in 2023. He is an experienced spirits Judge and blogger and is hugely passionate about the spirits industry and supporting distillers with product development, brand development and social media exposure, as well as hosting tasting sessions virtually and in person. Andrew is WSET Level 2 qualified and has over 30 years experience within the retail and hospitality sectors. Read our interview with Andrew and follow @theginden and @thespiritsexplorer on Instagram. |
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Katie Hughes - Founder, What's Katie Doing?
Katie is a greatly experienced gin awards judge and one of the best known and respected gin bloggers in the industry, with a focus on gin experiences, events and distillery visits. Read Katie's latest articles and posts on her website What's Katie Doing? and on Instagram: @whatskatiedoing. |
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Rory Faiers - Founder, Faiers Distillery & The Gin Lord
Rory (aka The Gin Lord) is a self-confessed 'long time booze enthusiast' and runs spirits tasting events across East Anglia. Rory is a self-taught distiller, the founder of Faiers Distillery, host of the 'Thirst of All' podcast, and an occasional writer who has been specialising in gin since 2014 but enjoying it for many years before! Instagram: @theginlord |
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Sandra Lim - Co-Founder, Martini Club
Sandra, popularly known as Juniperchick, has been championing gin and cocktails even before gin became fashionable. A passionate supporter of hospitality, she can often be found propping up some of the best bars around the world with her other half, Julian. Sandra is one of the founders of Martini Club and co-owner of Barspoon with Julian, working on the development of their RTD cocktails together. Follow Sandra on Instagram: @juniper.chick |
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Julian Vallis - BarSpoon & Martini Club
Julian is a spirits, bar and cocktail retailer and consultant, sharing his passion with partner @Juniper.chick (Sandra Lim), honed over more than a decade. He operates Barspoon, a spirits and cocktail online bar, Martini Club UK, a social club all about savouring Martinis and World Martini Day to celebrate this unique drink around the world. You can find Julian's cocktails and insights on Instagram and Twitter under @julianvallis |
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Annabel Foskett - The Virtual Tasting Company & The Gin Judge blog
Annabel is a gin enthusiast and blogger, featuring all things gin and spirits related including cocktails and coverage of her visits to distilleries across the UK. Annabel also assists in developing gin recipes and tasting notes for distillers and is WSET level 2 qualified in Spirits. Read our interview with Annabel. Follow Annabel on Instagram: @theginjudge. |
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Nicola Glassford - Founder, Gin & Beer
Nic is a gin enthusiast and blogger with her finger on the pulse of the gin world, well known in the industry for doing things a little differently and making gin fun. Nic writes honest reviews, aids the discovery of gin distilleries and brands, and always raises a smile in the process. Nic says, "Gin is easy to love and fun to play with but difficult to truly master... I'm putting in lots of practice though"! Read our interview with Nic and visit her website ginandbeer.blog and Instagram: @nics_gin_and_beer. |
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Matt Burton - Author, The Gin Shelf
Matt is a gin enthusiast and author of gin blog ‘The Gin Shelf’. Having started the blog back in 2016, it has continued to evolve into a passion and labour of love for Matt, and when he is not hidden away writing, he can often be found propping up the bar in a gin joint, getting to know to brands, visiting distilleries, and attending gin festivals and product launches. Instagram: @theginshelf |
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Euan Harris - Writer, From the Gin Shelf
Euan is a gin enthusiast and the writer behind 'From the Gin Shelf', which he launched in 2017. An Official Supporter of International Scottish Gin Day, Euan is a digital marketer by trade and also has a keen interest in photography, as you'll notice on his Instagram. |
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Carl Jackson - Author, Aged Spirits
Carl Co-Founded World Rum Guide in 2018 and is an expert in aged spirits, focusing on the Aged Gin category of The Gin Guide Awards. With experience across events and bar management, spirits conferences and launches, Carl brings a wealth of diverse industry knowledge and experience. |
