Hawkridge Distillers celebrates securing fifth international gold award after gold medal at the San Francisco Spirits Competition
A West Berkshire distillery is celebrating after securing its fifth international gold award for its craft spirits.
Hawkridge Distillers has just scooped a gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco Spirits Competition, the largest awards programme in the world, with more than 6,000 entries annually.
The company – which is run by James Gurney, Phil Howarth and Robin Horrex – produces gin, rum and vodka and in 2021 also won the title of England’s Best London Dry from the World Gin Awards and has since scooped gold medals from the Word Gin Masters and the London Spirit Competition.
“It’s wonderful to win these awards and it helps validate all the hard work the entire team at Hawkridge Distillers puts in,” said James Gurney.
The Compton-based distillers is currently preparing to move into larger, newly renovated premises just down the road from their existing home in the autumn.
The new plans also mean a larger workforce, with eight employees now working at Hawkridge. Mr Gurney said he hopes to increase that to 12 by the end of the year.
“It’s exciting, we are building something that is generating jobs and putting something back into the local area and we are having fun doing it,” he added.
“Hawkridge is going from strength to strength at the moment. We are working on many new exciting initiatives.
“Export markets are growing considerably for us and many weeks have been spent overseas as we open up new markets for our products
“Our Hawkridge range is now available in the US as well as six other countries.”
Hawkridge has collaborated with the five regiments of the King’s Guard to launch ‘The Guards’ London Dry Gin, which is currently used in St James’s Palace, among other venues.
A proportion of the sale of each bottle in the UK goes straight back to the Grenadier Guards, through the Colonel’s Fund; a charity set up to help support veterans in need and the families of fallen or wounded soldiers.
