Downton Dispatches — Medal

The annual Chinese New Year celebration starts on 25 Jan 2020 when the Year of the Rat begins, the animal is seen as a sign of wealth and surplus in Chinese culture. Explorer’s Gin is welcoming in this new celebration with a double gold medal at the China Spirits and Wine Best Value Competition.

The rat is associated with the Earthly Branch in Chinese astrology, and the midnight hours. In terms of yin and yang, it is considered ‘yang’ and represents the beginning of a new day.

People born in the year of the rat are clever, quick thinking and successful, although they are content with living a quiet and peaceful life. They enjoy saving and collecting and live organised lives, without seeking praise or recognition. People born in this year are also instinctive, alert and adaptable, although they have tendencies to be timid and stubborn.

Explorer’s has been awarded MASTER status at the Gin Masters Competition; this is one of the most prestigious competitions held within the industry. Explorer’s Gin was one of only two gins to be recognised as a Master in the ‘Contemporary Gin’ category.

The panel found this particular expression to be “versatile” and recommended that it should be used in a Martini, gin and tonic, or even as a sipping gin.

The Gin Masters is an annual competition organised by leading UK drinks publication The Spirits Business. Entries are blind tasted by a panel of expert retailers, bartenders and drinks writers.

To gauge how far gin has come in recent years, one need only look at how The Gin Masters competition has grown. In 2015, fewer than 100 gins were entered into the competition. In this year’s blind tasting, that number has more than trebled to exceed 300 entries, marking the biggest Global Spirits Masters competition in history.