NZ’s newest premium spirits grab top awards in San Francisco

Blue Duck Vodka & Black Robin Gin

New Zealand’s newest premium spirits grab top awards at the San Francisco World Spirits New Zealand’s newest premium vodka Blue Duck Vodka has been honoured with a Double Gold medal at the renowned 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition whilst its sister spirit Black Robin Gin picked up Silver.

The prestigious awards, now in its 14th all over the world, judged in a blind-taste test by a panel of 40 spirits experts from top restaurants, hotels and bars as well as major top journalists and spirits consultants.

CEO of Simply Pure ltd, the company behind the award winning spirits, Peter Darroch said he was delighted with the award stating that it proved both the vodka and gin were world class.

Speaking from a trade convention in Las Vegas, Peter said, “We were over the moon hearing that Black Robin Gin had won a Silver medal, so when the news came that Blue Duck Vodka had grabbed a Double Gold we were ecstatic!”

“A Double Gold means all 40 judges were unanimous in their decision in awarding Blue Duck Vodka top marks, and in this industry winning Double Gold is like being nominated for an Oscar.

We only launched in December last year, and these are the first awards we’ve entered, so to hit the top mark with the vodka on the first attempt is outstanding.

We distil our vodka seven times which gives it a velvety smooth texture and a highly distinctive and incomparable taste, one that the judges no doubt appreciated. The gin is distilled four times and infused with ten exotic botanicals and NZ native horopito, one of the world’s oldest flowering

Both Blue Duck Vodka and Black Robin Gin are handcrafted, batch-distilled in a reflex copper pot still and blended with the purest NZ water. Both are inspired by and named after extremely rare and endangered New Zealand native birds and a percentage of each bottle sold is donated to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand to help protect them for future generations.

“We wanted to create a quintessential New Zealand premium vodka and gin whilst at the same time helping raise funds for Forest & Bird to help in their fight to protect NZ’s native plants, animals and wild places,” says Peter Darroch.

They are rare birds, these are rare spirits, and we’ve created a rare chance to drink responsibly whilst helping to preserve our natural heritage and native spaces.

These awards are the highlight of the 2 year period it has taken from inception to reaching the pinnacle of recognition in the industry. We have just signed a significant distribution deal for the US with Australia, China and the UK on the table. “

As recipients of the Double Gold medal, Blue Duck Vodka is now invited to take part in a national tour throughout the US with respected trade magazine The Tasting Panel.

The spirits are sold in all top restaurants and bars throughout New Zealand and are available in all good bottle shops. For more info including where to drink and where to buy please visit www.blueduckvodka.co.nz and www.blackrobingin.co.nz or www.simplypure.co.nz

Blue Duck Vodka and Black Robin Gin are distributed in New Zealand by Negociants www.negociantsnz.com

ends

© Scoop Media