Despite the very challenging times facing the drinks industry just now, the team from The Teasmith Spirit Company are taking a pause to celebrate a win at the North East Food and Drink Awards.

The team from The Teasmith Spirit Company picked up the top prize in the category 'Best Distilled Product' for their Broich Single Estate Gin. 

The awards ceremony was streamed via YouTube in a special premier on 31st March 2020. 

Broich Single Estate Gin is the world's first gin to be distilled with Scottish tea, using the leaves of tea plants grown and nurtured in Scotland.

It was created by husband and wife team Nick and Emma Smalley from Udny Green in Aberdeenshire, who launched their original award-winning product in 2016.

The gin went on sale in the Summer of 2019 for the exclusive batch of just 1,000 bottles, which has been distilled with Broich tea leaves to create delicate notes of honey and apple.

The tea leaves were handpicked from tea plants grown at Broich tea garden on the banks of the River Earn in Crieff, Perthshire, by a grower in the Tea Gardens of Scotland group.

The Smalleys, who credit Aberdeenshire's rich history and links to the tea trade as the inspiration behind their gins, worked closely with the company to secure the right amount of Scottish tea leaves required to create Broich Single Estate Gin.

More limited Grower's Edition batches are planned for the coming months, using other teas produced by Scottish growers in other parts of the country.

The judges' comments about Broich Single Estate Gin were:

“The winner presented a unique, well thought out product. It's an elegant serve offering an early richness that embodies its provenance and its history. The judges were also particularly impressed with the people behind the company, and how their approach to innovation is so evident across the business.”

Nick Smalley said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive the award which comes at an especially challenging time for business. Broich Single Estate Gin was a really important product for us. It was our first extension of the brand after the successful release of The Teasmith Original. And whilst a lot of other producers were making heavily flavoured products, we decided to stick to our roots and create another truly classic style of gin that reflected the flavours that the unique Scottish-grown tea provided. The opportunity to make the world's first gin with Scottish grown tea couldn't be missed and we really wanted to be the first to do it.”

The Teasmith team were also finalists in the category for Best Young Business.

The recommended serve for The Grower's Edition, Broich Single Estate Gin is a slice of apple and premium tonic.

The last remaining bottles of The Teasmith Grower's Edition, Broich Single Estate Gin are available to buy online, priced at £35 for a 50cl bottle.

For more information and to find out where you can buy The Teasmith Gin please visit: www.teasmithgin.com

The judging panel for this year's awards included Ronnie Kelman, Business Director, ESS Support Services Worldwide, Kevin Shand, Regional Account Manager, Braehead Foods Ltd, James Taylor, Buying and Trade Marketing Manager, Gordon & MacPhail, Peter Sherry, Founder, The Beerhive Sarah Mackie, Buying Director, Brakes and Karen Ford, Manager, Brodie Countryfare.

The Awards have received sponsorship from a range of businesses and organisations, including; title sponsor ESS Support Services Worldwide, CMS, Dentons UK and Middle East LLP, Johnston Carmichael, Scotland Food & Drink, Serco NorthLink Ferries, Skills Development Scotland and Strachans.

ENDS

Photo caption: Emma and Nick Smalley, creators of The Teasmith Gin

Website: www.teasmithgin.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teasmithgin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_teasmith/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_teasmith

Notes to Editors:

North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards

The North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards form part of a wider programme of activities

that support growth in the food, drink and agriculture sector that are delivered by ONE Food,

Drink & Agriculture and in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council.

W: www.nesfoodanadrinkawards.co.uk T: @NESAwards #NESAwards

Opportunity North East (ONE)

ONE is a private-sector catalyst driving transformational change in the regional economy of the north east of Scotland. It has a 10-year, £62 million funding commitment from The Wood Foundation to identify, develop and deliver transformational projects within the region's key industries. ONE works in partnership to develop and deliver projects to accelerate growth and diversification of the regional economy. It works across five sectors: food, drink and agriculture; digital and entrepreneurship; energy; life sciences; and tourism.

The focus areas for ONE Food, Drink & Agriculture's activity are aligned with national sector strategies and are: business growth, market development and exports, transforming food supply chains, and future talent and skills.

W: www.opportunitynortheast.com T: @Opportunity_NE1 LinkedIn: LinkedIn