Kennet Crayfish Gin awarded bronze medal in International Wine & Spirit Competition

Kennet Crayfish Gin has achieved its second international honour since launching in January.

The Kennet Crayfish Company – which has its offices in Lower Way in Thatcham – has been awarded a bronze medal in the International Wine & Spirit Competition, one of the world’s oldest and largest spirits awards.

This marks the second win for the craft gin, which already won a silver medal The World Gin Awards.

Chief marketing office Carolyn Bennett said: “The IWSC medal is a further endorsement of the quality and great taste of our Crayfish Gin.

“The Gin Awards is IWSC’s biggest awards category, with thousands of entries coming in from all around the world, so we are competing against some extraordinary producers.

“We are really very happy with that.”

The crayfish gin is a new venture for the company, which traps wild crayfish in the chalk stream waters of the River Kennet in West Berkshire.

It teamed up with Hampstead Norreys-based Hawkridge Distillers to launch the product earlier this year.

READ MORE: The Kennet Crayfish Company and Hawkridge Distillers launch Kennet Crayfish Gin

It said trapping the crayfish helps keep the numbers of this invasive species down, which are harmful to native crayfish, as well as other river dwellers.

The unique delicacy has been recognised in the food sector ranking in the top three of the BBC Food and Farming Awards.

Crayfish are also widely used in home dining and BBQs with customers buying chilled crayfish from the company online.