The amazing L-Gin handcrafted gin, which was started in July 2018 by Sue Harper, Isabel Huxter and Ann Claughton, in Elgin has a lot to celebrate this year.

L-Gin Range Clears Out The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits

Although the global Covid-19 pandemic nearly hit them for a six, these three gin-loving friends from Elgin, are celebrating four 2020 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards for their four gin flavours – Lush, Crush, Plush and On-The-Go.

“We are blown away, honoured and extremely grateful for being rewarded with these awards,” said co-founder, Isabel Huxter. “Receiving the Michelangelo Awards is truly the best reward we could have hoped for after all our hard work. The three of us have spent many hours distilling, bottling and labelling each bottle by hand. We can honestly and proudly say our L-Gin is uniquely handcrafted gin.”

Their Lush was awarded the 2020 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Double Gold award. Since Elgin is mainly an apple-producing value, the very first gin they produced – Lush – was inspired by the Granny Smith apple and included Elgin grown juniper, Elgin lemons, fresh ginger, coriander and angelica root.

“Lush was our problem child,” said Harper. “We’ve encountered so many problems and spent a lot of time before achieving the perfect fresh flavour we had envisioned for Lush. We are delighted to have received a Double Gold award for Lush in the recent 2020 Michelangelo Awards.”

The accolades did not stop there. The second gin these three fierce ladies produced was Crush, which is distilled with Elgin grown blueberries, Elgin grown juniper, Elgin lemons, salvia, African striped pepper, coriander and angelica root. Crush received the Gold award at this year’s Michelangelo Awards.

In 2019, Plush was born.

“We wanted to capture the beautiful Autumn colours of the Elgin Valley, with the many oak trees lining our farm roads,” said Huxter. “This inspired us to produce Plush. With the cold winters in Elgin, we wanted to create a sipping gin which can be enjoyed neat on ice in front of a cosy fire.”

Plush is L-Gin’s contemporary gin, distilled with locally grown juniper, citrus, coriander and angelica root. After distillation, Plush is matured with oak to create its smooth balanced flavour. It boasts with woody and earthy tones with notes of caramel but remains juniper-forward. The oak adds complexity and a subtle sweetness. Plush received the Michelangelo Gin Trophy 2020 for the best gin and achieved the highest score out of all the local and international entries.

The alcohol ban during the lockdown period was both a blessing and a curse. A curse because L-Gin could no longer trade from Elgin Railway Market, their main source of income but a blessing because it gave the ladies time to experiment with a new recipe and concept. And so, L-Gin On-The-Go was born and launched when the alcohol ban was lifted. It’s a classic gin with an Elgin twist, in a tube with a twisting tap that pops out.

“On-The-Go is distilled with Elgin juniper, Elgin Lemongrass, Elgin lemons, fresh ginger, coriander & angelica root. It is not a pre-mix, pure craft gin and you still need to add tonic if that is your preference,” said Claughton. “It’s the perfect Christmas gift and ideal for smaller groups, picnics, camping and concerts.”

Their experiment paid off and On-The-Go was awarded the 2020 Michelangelo Wine & Spirits Trophy for the Most Innovative Alternate packaging. L-Gin will be building up stock ahead of the busy festive season as well as look at exporting opportunities. Who knows? There might even be a new gin on the horizon because there is nothing stopping these three gin-lovers.

Read our interview with L-gin to learn more about them.

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