Oxfordshire’s Sky Wave Gin has beaten off rivals from 80 countries to win 3 medals in the prestigious London Spirits Competition 2022.

This takes the medal tally to 24 in just over 2 years for the Bicester based distillery which is home to the World’s Best Contemporary Gin as crowned by the World Gin Awards 2020.

There were a record number of entrants to this year’s London Spirits Competition, with 2,500 spirits brands from more than 80 countries assessed by the top panel of judges, consisting of some of the world’s leading figures from the hospitality sector.

“We are honoured to win a Silver medal for our Orange and Madagascan Vanilla Gin. We’ve created it to stand out from other flavoured gins. We use only fresh orange, no flavouring or essences and fresh Madagascan vanilla pods sourced directly from the growers. It’s dry, delicate and at 40% ABV it is definitely a fruit gin for grown ups!” Said owner Rachel Hicks. 

Sky Wave Gin, based at Bicester Heritage, also took a double bronze for its Navy Strength London Dry Gin and its Liberation London Dry Gin which was developed to reflect the kindness and nature which many experienced in the first Lockdown.

“We are thrilled by people’s response to our gins. We see it every weekend at our Distillery Experiences with Curated Gin Tastings which are virtually fully booked until the summer. Visitors really want to hear the stories as well as drink the gin and that’s exactly what they do in the company of our fabulous Distillery Hosts.” according to Sky Wave Gin’s Master Distiller Andy Parsons.

“We’ve taken on more staff and are always keen to hear from people enthusiastic to work in the distilling business. We are proud to be one of very few businesses which has a senior management team that is 75% female. We choose the best people for the job and, in this case, they were mostly women” comments Rachel.

2022 is shaping up to be a big year for Sky Wave Gin, which is the only distillery in the world to be based on a World War Two RAF site complete with its own ghost! The team already distil a number of bespoke gins including the first ever Blenheim Palace Signature London Dry Gin. There are  some very exciting plans to grow the business which are being kept under wraps until later this year.  For more information, to buy gin gifts or book a Distillery Experience visit skywavegin.com

Oxfordshire’s Sky Wave Gin has bounded into 2022, triumphing over international competition, to scoop a gold and silver medal at the prestigious World Gin Awards.

The Bicester based Distillery, has already garnered 19 medals in 18 months becoming probably the most medalled distillery in the country.

“We are thrilled to take our medal tally to 21, and all won in international competitions with blind tastings against great global entries. Our Gold medal was awarded to our Liberation London Dry Gin which was developed to reflect the kindness and nature which we all experienced in the first Lockdown. The Silver went to our Navy Strength London Dry Gin, the big brother of our Signature London Dry which was named The World’s Best Contemporary Gin in the World Gin Awards 2020. At 57% it’s a fabulously intense drink with great depth.” Said owner Rachel Hicks. 

It’s a great start to 2022 for the craft distillery based at Bicester Heritage. They finished 2021 on a high, with the launch of the brand new bespoke Blenheim Palace Signature London Dry Gin, developed and distilled by Sky Wave Gin’s Master Distiller Andy Parsons.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a multi award-winning distillery on our doorstep and who better to ask to create our very own signature gin?” said Blenheim Palace’s Head of Retail, Judy Bendall.

 2022 is already looking like an exciting year for Sky Wave Gin, which is the only distillery in the world to be based on a World War Two RAF site complete with its own ghost! The team have plans for expanding the business with new offerings on the horizon.

“We’ve taken on more staff and are always keen to hear from people enthusiastic to work in the distilling business. We are proud to be one of very few businesses which has a senior management team that is 75% female. We choose the best people for the job and, in this case, they were mostly women” comments Rachel.

Sky Wave Gin has been in demand by the media over the past couple of weeks and with a former broadcaster among our ranks, we rose to the challenge.

SKY WAVE GIN TAKES TO THE AIR WAVES

In July, Sky Wave Gin founder Rachel Hicks, was invited onto BBC 5 Live to talk about the impact of Brexit on exports. A live, early morning interview on Wake Up To Money is not everyone’s cup of tea, and Rachel reports even the dog was a bit discombobulated, but the interview with Felicity Hannah (Twitter followers 19.4k) was an interesting insight into how the gin industry has been affected since Britain left the EU.

This was swiftly followed by a stint on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, who also wanted to hear how red tape has been strangling the B2C market for gin exports.

THE GIN GUIDE

(Followers: Instagram 97.9k  Twitter 17.4k Facebook 13.5k)

Sky Wave Gin recently hosted the editor of The Gin Guide, Paul Jackson for a distillery visit, following the win for our Signature London Dry in the Contemporary Gin category of The Gin Guide Awards 2021. Paul spent an enjoyable couple of hours with Rachel Hicks and Andrew Parsons, seeing how the distillery works and asking lots of burning questions.

His 'behind the scenes' feature gives a little insight into what we do accompanied by a lovely range of photos to tempt people to indulge in all things Sky Wave Gin. 

Paul has shared it on his social channels which gave a big boost of coverage, featured it on his website and we link to it below. The interview will also feature  in the next Gin Guide, Gin Newsletter email as well.  You can read the full story here: https://www.theginguide.com/gin-blog/sky-wave-distillery

THE GIN SHELF

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Rachel and Andy also took time out to talk to Matt Burton (The Gin Shelf) on a scorching hot afternoon for his “Meet the Makers” article. It’s had lots of positive feedback and is already generating traffic to us. This Q&A has now been published on his site and shared across his social media channels. You can read the full story here: https://theginshelf.uk/2021/07/20/meet-the-makers-sky-wave-gin/

Journalists call August “The Silly Month” as there is often little news.. so let’s see what it brings. Newsrooms - we are ready for you!

On 21 April Rachel, our co-founder and distiller, appeared on a Harper’s debate to discuss the topic “Modishness v Marketing.” As an on- or off-trade retailer, how does one assess which gins to back, including flavoured variants, to the longer-term benefit of your business? See what Rachel has to say in the video about gins trends, authenticity, craft and marketing.

Multi Award-Winning Sky Wave Gin to move to Bicester Heritage

• Maker of the 'World's Best Contemporary Gin' Sky Wave Gin is set to open a new headquarters at Bicester Heritage.
• The move represents an exciting expansion for Sky Wave Gin and their first purpose-built premises.

The maker of the World's Best Contemporary Gin, Sky Wave Gin, will base its award-winning, globally recognised brand at a new headquarters at Bicester Heritage. The move unifies two success stories, both celebrating the best of their craft. 

The new premises will offer visitors to the UK's Home of Historic Motoring the opportunity to experience excellence in a variety of forms including the production and tasting of Sky Wave Gin's range of premium craft gins. The brand, which includes the World's Best Contemporary Gin 2020, has echoes of the 1920s and 30s in its brand and label design, reflecting the same era which saw the rise in the romance of motoring and aviation, so prevalent throughout the architecture and fabric of Bicester Heritage.

Sky Wave Gin is proud of its local provenance. It uses Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water in its gin, sourced from the Palace aquifer just 20 minutes away from the new distillery at Bicester Heritage. Sky Wave Gin is the pinnacle of craft distilling with total commitment to the art, created by passionate gin drinkers, for passionate gin drinkers and with the distiller's name hand-written on each bottle.

The team behind Sky Wave Gin has long links with motoring in different forms, including hitching a lift across Europe in a Silver Wraith Mk II, driving a thirty year old Range Rover across the Sahara and owning an Aston Martin DB7. 

Sky Wave first appeared at Bicester Heritage for The Classic Car Drive-In Weekend where its Sky Wave Gin Bar proved to be incredibly popular, and already supply  specialist businesses and their customers at Bicester Heritage. 

Aside from distilling gin and creating bespoke gins for premium clients, the distillery will welcome gin enthusiasts to visit their new distillery in Building 105 at Bicester Heritage.  

Since launching 2 years ago, the business has won many awards including The World's Best Contemporary Gin 2020 and a Double Gold Medal in the China Wine and Spirits Awards 2020, growing to a team of 9 full time and part-time staff. If you want to know the story behind the name, visit the website www.skywavegin.com or read it on the bottles.

Rachel Hicks, co-founder and distiller at Sky Wave Gin, said, “This is a defining moment in the Sky Wave Gin story. We are thrilled to be moving in to such a historic site - our distillery is in a Grade 2 Listed workshop. It means we can finally open our doors to visitors, so watch this space for an exciting ‘distillery experience’ in the new year.”

Dan Geoghegan, Chief Executive of Bicester Heritage added, “Sky Wave Gin is a very welcome addition to the Bicester Heritage family, its commitment to craft production resonates well amidst our specialist community, whilst also adding to the allure of our regenerated historic RAF station: in fact, 'Sky Wave' seems like the perfect name for a stylish, aerodrome-based gin distillery. We are sure it will go down well with visitors."

Sky Wave Gin are delighted to announce that we are now featured as members of The Gin Guide https://www.theginguide.com/.

The Gin Guide is the independent global guide to gin and gin distilleries - for gin lovers and the trade. Launched in 2014 and edited by spirits judge and writer Paul Jackson [@ginguidepaul], it exists to help people discover gin and new gins, and to help quality gin producers to be discovered and reach gin lovers. The Gin Guide offers Gin Reviews, details on Distillery tours, Tasting Notes, Garnishes, News, Interviews & much more.

Paul has posted a new review on Sky Wave’s signature London Dry Gin, the winner of ‘World’s Best Contemporary Gin 2020’ at the World Gin Awards here: https://www.theginguide.com/sky-wave-gin.html . It is fair to say that Paul enjoyed this; “…traditional combination of piney juniper, vibrant citrus and earthy spice rides on a crisp and smooth mouthfeel, with different characters of citrus emerging and warming spice developing into the finish…”

So What If It Says ‘Craft’ On The Label?

The phone rang at Sky Wave Gin HQ.  Some chap wanted a reference for a supplier.  I was happy to give it – the supplier in question was extremely helpful and always delivered.  Then we got to chatting.

“What do you guys do?”, I asked.
“Oh, we’re launching a new range of spirits.”
“Oh really?”, I respond, “what sort of spirits?”
“A range of craft gins.”
“How exciting, delighted to meet you, and welcome to the craft,” I effuse, “where do you distil?”
“Oh, we don’t distil.  We’re using contract distillers in London.  They’ve created it all for us.  They can produce thousands of bottles at a time, not like these little distilleries.”
“Ah, ok.  So what makes it craft then?”
“Oh, you know, it sells better if we call it craft”.

We ended the call pretty soon after that. I don’t think I was quite so welcoming in the end.  I was a bit miffed. My ‘craft’ had been hijacked.  Usurped.  Prostituted.  How dare they claim to be craft!  How dare they mass produce, not even caring about the actual process, only to write ‘craft’ on the label.  How was that even legal?

Well, it seems it is legal.  There’s no formal, binding definition of craft in the industry.  It doesn’t mean small.  It doesn’t mean hand made.  It doesn’t mean laboured over with love and care in every single batch.  It seems it doesn’t actually mean anything at all, and any Tom, Dick or Harriet can write ‘craft’ on every one of their 900,000 labels and the public think they’re getting something made in a shed in Scunthorpe when in fact it’s been made in a huge factory - anywhere.

Then, spare a thought for Dan, who really is making multi-award winning craft gin in a converted kitchen in his house in Kineton; or Barney, crafting the most incredible ultra-premium spirits in tiny batches which are taken in small quantities by the most prestigious of restaurants; or Zoe and Andy who make their also award-winning sustainable gin in a shed – yes, a real shed – in Ulverston.  These guys are the real craft, distilling their expressions with true devotion, by hand always.

I was moved to look up ‘craft’ in the Oxford English Dictionary.  I thought I knew what it meant, but I wanted to check.  And there it was: ‘skill, art, trade, especially by hand’.  Just as I thought.  But hang on! Reading further: ‘cunning, deceit’.  Oh, the justice!  That really made my day, to find those words were also an interpretation.

So, gin aficionado, when you’re contemplating your next gin purchase, if the concept of a truly craft gin is important to you, if you believe the months and years of development, care, attention to detail, sheer angst and love – yes love – to make that spirit the best it possibly can be, are at the heart of our craft, then please read the label, soak up the provenance, and decide.  Was it made by Dan, Barney or Zoe, with art and skill, by hand?  Or does the ‘craft’ on the label, on that bottle in your hand, really just mean deceit?