When the London Spirits Competition puts together a judging panel, we make sure it’s nothing but the best.

This year on our judging panel we have Giorgio Bargiani the Head Mixologist at The Connaught Bar, voted the world’s best bar in 2020. We also have Luca Rapetti, the Assistant Bar Manager at The Shard, Shangri-La Hotel. Also with us is Laurenz Ortlieb, Senior Bartender at The Ritz London. Kieran Grieves, Head of drinks development at the Cairn Hotel Group. These are a few among other elite judges our judging panel for the 2021 London Spirits Competition.

Every year, we try to ensure that the competition benefits you in more ways than one. Usually, competition entrants receive a score and a medal if they have won in a category. This year, however, you will also be provided with ‘tasting notes’ from the judges.  All entrants in the 2021 London Spirits Competition will receive shelf talker templates with tasting notes and scores when the 2021 results are announced.  The shelf talkers will be available to all brands. These can be printed directly from the entrant’s zone on London Spirits Competition, free of cost.

[Table set-up at the competition]

What this means for you

Well, enter London Spirits Competition. London Spirits Competition prides itself in being the key link between the trade, distillers and consumers. To grow your brand this year, what are your goals? Are they,

• Increasing your sales

• Growing brand awareness

• Having your spirits sampled by key decision-makers

• Launching or growing in the United Kingdom

• Increasing distribution

• Grabbing consumer attention

• Marketing your spirits to the right demographic

• All of THESE

At London Spirits Competition we understand just how important each aspect is in growing your brand, and we are here to boost your efforts. When you enter your spirits for the London Spirits Competition, you are putting them in front of judges who are real trade buyers and bar managers. This is your opportunity to showcase your product to the people who create and shape the way spirits are consumed in London.

[Judging at the London Spirits Competition]

The Judging

Since its inception, the London Spirits Competition has had a unique approach to judging spirits. We have three, highly effective judging criteria that are unique to our competition. They are,

1. Quality.

2. Value for money.

3. Packaging

If a spirit has won gold in a competition based on its quality, it will not necessarily fly off the shelves if it does not offer the value for money that a consumer is looking for. It could perhaps offer both quality and great value, but may not be designed and packaged well enough to stand out from various other products on a retail shelf. Thus the golden triangle of Quality, Value and Design is at the centre of our judging process.

[Judges at the London Spirits Competition]

The Judges

We pride ourselves on having the best judging panel in the industry. Each year, we pick the movers and shakers of the spirits industry in London. They are real trade buyers who judge how a consumer would perceive the bottle they are judging. 

Let’s meet the judges for the 2021 London Spirits Competition – 

Gary Burdekin - Master Bartender at TGI Friday's UK

Daniel Susko - Head of Bars at Annabel's and The Birley Clubs, London

Cameron Attfield - Bar Manager of Baccarat Bar, London

Giorgio Bargiani - Head Mixologist at The Connaught Bar

Ivan Dixon - Spirits Buyer & Drinks Brand Consultancy

Ludovica Fedi - Head Bartender at The Gleneagles Hotel

Mariantonietta Varamo - Assistant Restaurant and Bar Manager

Thomas Aske - Founder at Blank Canvas Collective

Aurelie Montana - Assistant Bar Manager , D&D London

Luca Rapetti - Assistant Bar Manager at Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard

Nelson Reis - Bartender at Soho House & Co

Ali Ali - Bar Manager at Oriole bar

Erion Bardhoci - Senior Mixologist

Georgia Billing - General Manager at City of London Distillery & Bar

Davide Capirola - Bar Manager at Roka Canary Wharf, London

Andrea Carella -Senior Bartender at 45 Park Lane

Marie Cécile Kasmi -Senior Bartender at Lyaness

Enrico Chiappini - Head Bartender at Dukes Hotel

Tudor Cosmin - Head Bartender at Marriott International

Eddie DeSousa - Head of Whisky Bars at Milroys of Soho & Milroys Spitalfields

Angelo Fierro - Head Bartender at Passo Shoreditch

Kieran Grieves - Head of drinks development at the Cairn Hotel Group

Vitor Lourenço - Head of Bars at Harbour Hotels

Andrei Marcu - Bar Manager at Coupette, London

Salvatore Megna - Head bartender at The Stafford London

Tiago Mira - Bar Manager at The Goring Hotel

Laurenz Ortlieb - Senior Bartender at The Ritz London

Alex Palumbo - Co-Owner at Hey Palu, Modern Italian Bar

Federico Pavan - Assistant Bar Manager, The Donovan bar @The Brown’s Hotel

Cristiana Pirinu - Bartender presso The Donovan Bar

Luca Ponte - Supervisor at JW Marriott Grosvenor House

Luke Ridge - Assistant General Manager at Pali Hill & Bandra Bhai

Bryan Rodriguez - Junior Wine & Spirit Buyer at Harvey Nichols

Stefano Tatti - Assistant Bar Manager and Restaurant Manager, Craft London

Cosmin Tigroso - Head Bartender

Arnaud Volte - Bartender, London Edition

Emilia Wrelton - Bar Manager at The Ivy St. Helen’s Square. 

Winning Impact

How can you use your win at the London Spirits Competition effectively? We offer the winners of the 2021 London Spirits Competition some great channels to promote their products. 

Winner Stickers

All winners have an option to purchase winner stickers to display on their bottles. These winning medal stickers can be used extensively on your brand support tools like brand deck, shelf talkers, bottle neckers and case cards. We include 1000 free stickers as a bonus with your first order.

[London Spirits Competition Medals]

Get Drinks Delivered

Beverage Trade Network, the organisers of this competition, in 2020 launched, Get Drinks Delivered. This is an online platform that connects retailers and brand owners to consumers with their delivery services. This came as a much-needed move in the wake of the pandemic. All winners of the 2021 London Spirits Competition will be integrated here notice giving you a chance to increase DTC sales.

London Drinks Guide

Winners of the 2021 London Spirits Competition will be promoted on the London Drinks Guide. This is an extensive platform that will help promote your winning spirits; and the venues selling them. You may submit your brand stories, exciting cocktail recipes, where your drinks are served, the events you have at your distillery and we will promote these to consumers.

Reaching out to professionals

The results will be shared with over 50,000 trade professionals, and over 20,000 spirits buyers world over, in the Beverage Trade Network community. Winners receive press coverage across media partners of the 2021 London Spirits Competition.

Social Media Support

Winners get year-round social media support along with the press support from the London Spirits Competition and our media partners.

Top 100 London Spirits Competition winners list

The top 100 winners of the 2021 London Spirits Competition, will feature in the Top 100 on-premise & off-premise Spirits list and Top 100 LSC Spirits.

We are here to stretch your marketing dollars and maximise PR efforts for your brands.

Key information

When - March 17, 2021

Where - The Worx, London

Key dates

Registration Ends - Feb 22, 2021

Warehouse Closes - Feb 26, 2021

Judging Date - March 17, 2021

Winners Announced - April 12, 2021

Fee schedule

£170 Regular - till Feb 22, 2021

Quantity discount now available

3 to 8 entries - 10% discount

9 to 13 entries - 15% discount

14 or more entries - 20% discount

As this is the final call for entries to the London Spirits Competition, we encourage you to enter your spirits now. 

How To Enter