Shetland Distillery Company (SDC) has triumphed for the second year in a row at one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious spirits competitions.
Its recently-released Shetland Reel blended malt whisky won a gold medal and its second gin, Ocean Sent, secured a silver.
The awards, at the 2016 World Spirits Competition, follow the silver medal won there by the Unst-based company’s original Shetland Reel Gin last year.
SDC managing director Stuart Nickerson said: “We’re thrilled and delighted to have built on our success of last year with a gold for our whisky and a silver for our newest gin.
“To have done so when the competition was even more fierce – a record 1,850 spirits were judged this year compared to just over 1,500 last year – is fantastic.
“It shows that despite our size we are able consistently to produce quality spirits with a unique story behind them that people really enjoy drinking.”
The competition was held at the Hotel Nikko in downtown San Francisco.
Each spirit was evaluated by top spirits professionals and judged in blind tastings, which the organisers say makes the competition the most “reputable and recognised … in the spirits industry”.
Shetland Reel blended whisky is bottled in the islands using four Speyside and one Islay cask strength single malts and Unst water.
Shetland Reel Ocean Sent gin is made with seaweed harvested from the shoreline in Unst.
