Kella Distillers Ltd has added yet another prestigious award to its latest haul!
Fast on the heels of their Bronze Medal for their Ultra Premium Manx Vodka, Bifrost, in the 2016 International Wine and Spirit Competition, Kella Distillers has just picked up a coveted Star in the Great Taste Awards!
The judges at the Great Taste Award were full of praise, and some surprise, for Bifrost “We've got this straight from the freezer, so it has frosted the glasses and looks very appetising. On the nose there is powerful cognac - exciting but confusing. On drinking too we are surprised. It's like drinking 'cleaned' cognac.” They later went on to add, “This is a real talking point re positioning. We decided we would drink it after dinner and it would be a great digestif. It has a long finish, it's boozy and innovative. It would also make a fantastic vodka martini so it's versatile too! It's smoother than most vodkas and a lot of brandies yet very strong too. This is worth a star for innovation alone."
Judged by over 500 of the most demanding palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs and producers as well as a whole host of food writers and journalists, Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.
As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to a wonderful tasting product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind-tasting by hundreds of judges.
Now more room will have to be found on the Bifrost bottle for yet another award sticker, alongside the Bronze medal from the International Wine and Spirit Competition and the Bronze award from the panel at the International Spirits Challenge which they won in May.
“Keeping up with all these awards is getting hard” said a proud Becki Gelling, “We are delighted to have picked up a Bronze medal from IWSC, which is considered to be the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world”
The awards given by the competition are believed to be among some of the highest honours in the industry. Judging for the Competition is unique in that it has two stages; first, the products are tasted blind by expert panels, selected from over 300 fully experienced and qualified industry judges. Products which receive the top medals are then subject to technical analysis before results are released; this crucial stage ensures winners receive complete validation.
Since taking over the helm of the Island’s oldest distillery, Becki Gelling and her husband Alan, have created a sensational new drink, Bifrost. Distilled from the finest French grapes that have been used to make an exceptional VS Cognac. Bifrost builds on the Distillery’s heritage of redistilling matured spirits into clear, flavourful drinks.
“Winning these prestigious awards this week comes on the heels of our last great result, a Bronze Medal at the International Spirits Challenge earlier in the summer, we must be doing something right!” announced Becki.
Bifrost has been made at the Distillery since autumn 2015, and has required a new type of still to be designed and built by Alan, “We are learning more and more about how to get the most flavour and subtle aromas for the Cognac each time we distill, by next year who knows what we can achieve”
The distillery in Sulby has been the home of innovative distilling since the mid 70’s - Pushing boundaries in an otherwise traditional industry has meant going toe to toe with the big guys. “Winning this award, and showing the competition what we are capable of, only gives us more confidence going forward” added Andrew Dixon “Since passing the baton over to my daughter last year, I have been amazed and delighted at what she, and Alan, have produced; the future of distilling on the Island is in safe hands”
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