Judges

Adele Conn, better known online as Tartan Spoon is a food, drinks and travel writer, reviewer and content creator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Adele is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and is passionate about food, whisky, gin, spirits and wine. Adele loves Scottish produce and creates content that supports and champions Scotland’s food and drinks producers. Adele holds a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 1 Award in Wines and a diploma in gin from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy.

Allison’s passion for gin and travel meet in her virtual gin tours, which she features on her gin blog, GinSquares.  Having a vast collection of gins from around the world, Allison kept her followers entertained over lockdown, travelling vicariously through her gin collection and covering Europe, 80 days around the world and also Scotland for International Scottish Gin Day in 2020. She believes that what defines gin is more than just juniper and that every gin has a flavour profile which gives it a geographical identity and the stories behind the brand help the drinker to relate to it. Allison holds a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 1 Award in Spirits. 

Anna first discovered a love for gin after an ill fated bike ride left her in need of a rejuvenating cocktail. As fate would have it, the barman poured a gin and bitter lemon and the rest, as they say, is history. A keen interest and thirst for knowledge of all things gin was born and grew through attending numerous Gin festivals. Anna was able to bring her passion for gin to her day job – hosting gin parties for Waitrose and John Lewis – in person and then virtually during the pandemic, as well as playing an integral role in bringing to market a limited edition cocktail at home box. Anna then branched out with her business Gintuition, where she shares her passion for local and regional gins with like minded gin lovers. Anna has WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 2 Award in Spirits and Level 2 Award in Wine.

Anthony Brimacombe AKA Brim & Tonic, has been enjoying gin since work colleagues introduced him to the spirt in 2016 on a work night out. It was also around this time that Anthony decided to visit Duke’s Bar, where he sampled one of the famous Martinis made by Alessandro Palazzi. The experience opened a door for Anthony into the world of cocktails and spirits. Since this early discovery of gin, Anthony has developed his knowledge and understanding of spirits, cocktails, mixology and loves to share this passion through his social media channels. Anthony, along with Julian Vallis and Sandra Lim, is a founding member of Martini Club UK.

Carol is the chemist in the Scottish Alchemists ….having spent half her working life in industry and now completing the second half in teaching chemistry. Her first foray into gin was many years ago at the Cowal Games in Dunoon; Gordon’s mixed with bitter lemon…..it took many years to recover from that. As part of The Scottish Alchemists podcasts, Carol features in Chemistry Corner with the chemistry of gin and related sundries. She is a huge fan of Scottish gin and her collection grows…. and grows.

Ginteresting Times was set-up by Dan Cox as a fun way to share his thoughts about the world of gin after enjoying a Ginvent calendar and seeing how gin could bring people together. He also had his eyes opened after attending an event hosted by Rory Faiers AKA The Gin Lord, where Dan saw the variety of gin expressions available. Dan has continued to grow his understanding of the industry and gin by visiting distilleries and attending gin events, chatting with producers and brand owners.

Dan is a massive foodie. Having spent 8 years living all around the world, he developed a real love for all flavours and never settled for average. This applies to wine, coffee, cheese, chocolate and of course gin; all of which can be incredibly varied and complex. Dan’s blog started on his return to the UK, where he found himself to be a tourist in his new home of Manchester. Seeking out good places to eat soon turned into a real passion for spreading the word of everything to do with food and travel. Dan holds a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 2 Award in Spirits and a WSET Level 3 in Wine.

Dominic’s journey as a gin enthusiast was driven by his passion for the spirit and his desire to share its unique qualities with others. It all began on Instagram, where he embarked on his exciting gin adventure under the handle ginanddomic. Dominic has also had the privilege of hosting numerous gin and garnish events across Scotland. As time has progressed, he has expanded his reach and influence by forging meaningful partnerships with established brands, collaborating to create original content and crafting signature serves that truly showcase the essence of their offerings.

Euan is a gin enthusiast and the writer behind ‘From The Gin Shelf’. An Official Supporter of International Scottish Gin Day, Euan is a digital marketer by trade and also has a keen interest in photography. ‘From The Gin Shelf’ was created by Euan in 2017 as a resource dedicated to helping consumers learn more about gin through unbiased reviews and editorials. Euan’s own experiences while researching also widens his own knowledge and serves to enhance his passion for all things gin.

Jade has over nine years of experience working in the Scottish hospitality and tourism sectors. While studying at University in Stirling, Jade worked as a mixologist at a local bar and restaurant, mixing and prepping the cocktail menu for guests and working as a historian and re-enactor with Living History Scotland. Jade returned to her native Dumfries and Galloway in 2020 and, with a love of history, gin, and whisky, set up her ‘Castles & Casks’ Instagram account in 2021, where she shares some of her adventures, showcases the spirits she’s enjoying, along with connecting with other like-minded people who share similar interests. Jade currently works as a tour and tasting guide for a local distillery.

Jenny is a gin blogger based in the South East of England, who started blogging at the end of 2014 and has since reviewed over 200 gins, tonics and mixers. Jenny is passionate about helping people to discover gin and aims to write her tasting notes in a way that is understandable, accessible and relatable to everyone. Jenny holds a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 1 Award in Spirits and a Level 2 Award in Wines. Jenny is also Events Manager at the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust).

Joyce is one third of The Scottish Alchemists, an irreverent and well-informed trio of gin enthusiasts. Based in the Scottish borders, Joyce travels extensively with work and family commitments and this gives her opportunities to sample gins in every country she visits. This means Joyce has extensive tasting experience and a discerning palate. A former PE teacher, and now award-winning leadership development specialist, Joyce enjoys using her skills to help others discover the joy of gin.

Katie has a passion for gin, travel and food and writes about all three, especially where they intersect. Her blog covers gin guides to places she has visited on her travels, gin tastings, distillery visits and other gin based experiences. She’s always on the lookout for gins, spirits and food made locally to where she travels.

Laura is the face behind Storry Telling Gin And Tonic and The Ginside Storry. Laura has had a keen interest in gin since a certain Yorkshire brand first re-launched their gin many moons ago, and since then has invested her time in discovering new gins, brands and distillers. Attending gin events and visiting cocktail bars has also provided the opportunity to discover more about the world of spirits but also meet like minded fans and supporters of the world of gin. During the various lockdowns, Laura met up online with work colleagues and encouraged them to make cocktails and get together to socialise and discuss.

After a hospitality career managing luxury boutique hotels and fine dining restaurants throughout Scotland and Massachusetts USA, Lorna decided to train the next generation of hospitality leaders and customer service superstars in her capacity as lecturer at Motherwell College / New College Lanarkshire. She has also led student success at World Skills Competition. A passion (or obsession) for Scottish Gins, has led Lorna to owning a collection of over 300 gins.  Lorna recognises that Scottish Gins are very under represented in gin clubs and social media platforms and is committed to bringing Scottish Craft Gins to a wider audience. She champions Scottish Gins and Distillers on social media platforms under “made GIN Scotland”.

Originally a Rum & Whisky drinker, Marc was introduced to the wonderful world of Gin by his wife Syretta and has not looked back. Marc’s fascinated with the distilling process, botanicals, aromas, flavours and could spend hours talking with distillers about their process of producing the gins he enjoys drinking. Marc shares his passion for gin through his Instagram account ‘Gin Together Stay Together’ Hailing from South East London, Marc enjoys spending his free time with a G&T whilst listening to some tunes and cooking.

Matt Burton started his blog ‘The Gin Shelf’ in 2016 to help share his love of the gin world and writing. Matt uses his personal life experiences in his gin reviews and writing, often with hilarious effect; adventures, anecdotes, family and life all finding their way into his gin writing. Matt enjoys attending gin events, visiting distilleries, meeting producers, discovering new cocktail bars and seeking out new gins and spirits.

Nicola Glassford set-up her blog Nic’s Gin & Beer after discovering gin at a food and drink festival with her family. She made it a priority to visit her local gin bar where she learnt more about food and gin pairings along with trying a variety of gin styles. Nic has grown her gin collection to cover brands from all around the world but, hailing from Glasgow, ultimately Nic has a soft spot for Scottish Gins. Nicola prides herself on integrity, honesty, fairness and transparency when it comes to her reviews and blog.

Oscar Zammit is one half of The Ginfluencers UK, along with co-founder Scott Zammit. Oscar has worked in hospitality for over 35 years and has discovered plenty of gins in that time, along with watching the gin category unfold and evolve to where it is today. The Ginfluencers UK idea came about as Oscar and Scott were enjoying more and gins, and saw an opportunity to establish a YouTube channel and brand that was dedicated to providing honest reviews and opinions about the world of gin, a place where they should share their views about the gins they were drinking.

Pam was a little unsure how to describe herself… blogger, baker, mother, signaller (that’s the day job), or gin lover. She says it depends on who she’s talking to! Pam is a Scottish mum of two, living in the South West of Scotland. She works full time in the rail industry and in her free time she loves writing reviews about drinks and gin in particular. She has a long standing relationship with gin but only over the last three or four years has she taken the opportunity to explore the industry and build up her knowledge. Pam enjoys attending gin and drinks events, meeting the makers and discussing their products and educating others through her blog and social media channels. Pam holds a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 1 Award in Spirits.

Richard Spence AKA Spence hails from North London and like a lot of people, discovered gin thanks to Bombay Sapphire. A keen photographer, gin drinker and foodie, Spence enjoys the social aspect of gin where it can bring people together to share ideas, chat and learn. Spence uses his blog and social media channels to shine a light on the gin brands and people he’s met, making connections with producers and brands and getting to know the spirits in the bottle.

Rory Faiers has been championing the gin category for a number of years online as The Gin Lord. Organising and running gin tasting events across East Anglia, Rory also reviews and writes about gin and distilling and is an active member of the wider gin community. Rory also enjoys learning more about the distillation process, with his rectifiers licence, he can be found tinkering away distilling foraged botanicals, especially herbs, fruits and juniper. Rory is also responsible for Thirst of All, a podcast that sees Rory chatting with a range of producers and people from the world of gin and spirits about their love of drinks and spirits.

Scott Zammit is one half The Ginfluencers UK, along with co-founder Oscar Zammit. With a collection gin collection that spans all gin styles and features gins from around the world, including a selection of Scottish Gins, Scott and Oscar have grown a dedicated following on their YouTube channel The Ginfluencers UK. Their YouTube channels feature meet-the-maker events, tastings and reviews. And unlike some review websites and channels, all gins reviewed have been purchased, so there is no hidden agenda, just honest, friendly and unbiased reviews. The Ginfluencers UK are dedicated to helping consumers discover hidden gems and navigate the ever-growing gin category through their videos and content.

Syretta’s passion for gin and the beginning of her gin journey started with a bottle that was received as a wedding gift. Fast forward many years and the collection has vastly grown and includes gins and spirits from all around the world. Syretta posts about her love of Gin on Instagram account ‘Gin Together Stay Together’ with her husband Marc and enjoys discovering new spirits brands and spirits including gin. She also loves attending gin, food and spirits events and festivals.