Empress 1908 Gin Wins Three Awards and Expands Distribution Across USA

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Empress 1908, the latest craft spirit from Victoria Distillers in British Columbia, Canada, has recently been awarded three distinctions for its original, all-natural, indigo gin.

Inspired by the renowned tea and cocktail programs of the iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel, Empress 1908 is micro-distilled in small batch copper-pot stills using eight botanicals: juniper, rose, coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, butterfly pea blossoms and the Fairmont Empress Blend Tea. The delicate butterfly pea flower is infused post-distillation to maintain its subtle earthy notes, while also imparting a vivid blue color which turns pink with the addition of tonic or citrus. The final result is a gently refined, nuanced gin with depth and boldness of spirit. 

Empress 1908 is honored to have been named Best Alcohol Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards. Now in its 15^th year, the awards are designed to celebrate excellence and innovation across every category of the global beverage industry. The judging panel considered 227 entries from over 33 countries in 25 categories. The annual World Beverage Innovation Awards, in association with FoodBev Media, were hosted at Drinktec 2017 on September 14, 2017. A full list of winners can be found at foodbev.com.

The indigo gin also received a Gold Medal at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. The 7^th annual competition was the largest to date with many new and established brands participating from throughout the world. Judged by a panel of esteemed experts in the industry, it is the only wine and spirits competition associated with the Triple Crown of Competitions (The San Francisco International Wine Competition and The San Francisco World Spirits Competition). A full list of winners can be found at nyworldwineandspiritscompetition.com. 

Empress 1908 has been awarded a Judges' Selection in the Gin category at the Alberta Beverage Awards. The ABAs are a blind tasting competition produced by Culinaire Magazine for wines, beers and spirits available in Alberta, Canada. The winning products from the 2017 ABAs will appear in the October issue of Culinaire and be listed on culinairemagazine.ca. 

Responding to overwhelming demand, Empress 1908 continues its rollout across the United States, and is pleased to announce the following distribution partners:

• Connecticut – Allan S. Goodman and Eder Brothers
• Colorado – Empire Distributors, Inc. / Baroness Wines
• Florida – Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits
• Georgia – Empire Distributors, Inc.
• Kansas – Worldwide Beverage Group
• Kentucky – Heidelberg Kentucky
• Massachusetts – Classic Wine Imports of Martignetti Companies
• Nevada – Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits
• New Jersey – Allied Beverage Group / Breakthru Beverage Group
• New York – Empire Merchants & Empire Merchants North
• Rhode Island – Rhode Island Distributing
• Tennessee – Empire Distributors, Inc.
• Washington – American Northwest Distributors, Inc.

For more information on Empress 1908, including cocktail recipes and videos, visit www.empressgin.com and follow along at @EmpressGin1908.

Facebook: EmpressGin1908 
Instagram:@EmpressGin1908 
Twitter:@EmpressGin1908

Please #LiveColorfully, but enjoy responsibly.

ABOUT VICTORIA DISTILLERS

Established in British Columbia, Canada in 2008, Victoria Distillers works with iconic local destinations to create premium cocktail spirits that reflect a sense of place. Well known in British Columbia (as the producer of the second most sold premium gin behind Hendrick's), Victoria Distillers' creative efforts are rooted in Canada's West Coast culture. As one of Canada's oldest, small-batch spirits companies, Victoria Distillers is known for its drive for innovation and distinctive product line.

SOURCE Victoria Distillers