By Uwin Lugoda
Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Sri Lanka’s very own Rockland Distilleries (Pvt.) Ltd. achieved a momentous feat last March by bringing home three awards from the coveted San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020.
The almost century-old local distillery went head to head with around 3,000 entries from all corners of the world in this year’s competition and managed to secure the “double gold” standard along with gold and bronze medals for three of their products.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition assesses hundreds of entrants annually from around 63 countries, with tastings involving panels of expert judges selected each year from the spirits industry, including mixologists and spirits buyers, and media from across the US. Producers submit their products to the competition and pay a fee for its evaluation, after which the ones judged for their sufficient quality are given bronze, silver, or gold awards from the tasting panel. Entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the coveted distinction of a "double gold" medal.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Rockland Distilleries Head of International Sales Graham Merricks stated that by winning these awards, a spotlight was placed on Sri Lankan products and it also helped reinforce that Sri Lankan products are of worldwide quality and can compete with other international companies and their products.
“It makes us extremely proud that our family-run business can compete with other international brand owners and/or companies,” Merricks said.
This new win follows several others, as Rockland has previously won several medals since it began competing in the World Spirits Competition in 2016. These wins came to Ceylon Arrack, which won two bronze medals and two silver medals; Colombo No. 7 Gin, which won a bronze, a silver, and two golds; and this year Colombo No. 7 has achieved the high award of double gold while their new product Colombo No. 7 Navy Strength Gin also won a gold medal.
“Colombo No. 7 winning the double gold medal is so fantastic as entries that receive this are rated by the judges to be among the finest products in the world.”
This year, Colombo No. 7 Gin entered the London Dry Gin category, Colombo No. 7 Ration Navy entered the Navy Strength Gins with a high ABV, and Ceylon Arrack was entered into the Other Spirits category.
According to Merricks, Rockland’s products have always been of the highest quality and have had a consistent taste, which made it stand out from the rest of the competition. He explained that Ceylon Arrack offers an interesting taste profile and has smoothness to it, while Colombo No. 7 Gin is a classic London dry gin with Sri Lankan spices and botanicals.
He stated that the demand for both Ceylon Arrack and Colombo No. 7 Gin comes from all over the world with enquiries coming every week asking for stock and its availability in the respective countries the brands are available in quite a few countries internationally. These products are currently available in many countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan and are also available at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and onboard Sri Lankan Airlines flights.
Merricks stated that the demand for these products also comes from the Aldi supermarket chain both in the UK and Australia, with over 21,000 bottles being sold in their UK stores alone.
“Both brands are doing very well internationally in HORECA (hospitality industry). For Ceylon Arrack, the usage in restaurants and bars in the UK is higher than the total usage of this premium arrack at home in Sri Lanka,” he stated.
Merricks stated that they are hoping new interest for the three products will come from international bars and restaurants that are looking to stock up on award-winning brands and enjoy working with them to make creative cocktails, while also having the two gin products in their gin menu listings alongside the best gins from all over the world. He went on to state that this will also attract many gin enthusiasts from around the world who would like to have these bottles in their collections.
“We are constantly marketing our brands to international markets, either through our distributors in other countries or by the Rockland team. We also participate in many exhibitions targeted for the bar, restaurant, and hotel sectors and many exhibitions that are consumer-based, where we can conduct tastings which are really enjoyed,” he shared. Rockland lifts Lankan spirits with global awards
10 May 2020
Rockland lifts Lankan spirits with global awards
10 May 2020
By Uwin Lugoda
Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Sri Lanka’s very own Rockland Distilleries (Pvt.) Ltd. achieved a momentous feat last March by bringing home three awards from the coveted San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020.
The almost century-old local distillery went head to head with around 3,000 entries from all corners of the world in this year’s competition and managed to secure the “double gold” standard along with gold and bronze medals for three of their products.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition assesses hundreds of entrants annually from around 63 countries, with tastings involving panels of expert judges selected each year from the spirits industry, including mixologists and spirits buyers, and media from across the US. Producers submit their products to the competition and pay a fee for its evaluation, after which the ones judged for their sufficient quality are given bronze, silver, or gold awards from the tasting panel. Entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the coveted distinction of a "double gold" medal.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Rockland Distilleries Head of International Sales Graham Merricks stated that by winning these awards, a spotlight was placed on Sri Lankan products and it also helped reinforce that Sri Lankan products are of worldwide quality and can compete with other international companies and their products.
“It makes us extremely proud that our family-run business can compete with other international brand owners and/or companies,” Merricks said.
This new win follows several others, as Rockland has previously won several medals since it began competing in the World Spirits Competition in 2016. These wins came to Ceylon Arrack, which won two bronze medals and two silver medals; Colombo No. 7 Gin, which won a bronze, a silver, and two golds; and this year Colombo No. 7 has achieved the high award of double gold while their new product Colombo No. 7 Navy Strength Gin also won a gold medal.
“Colombo No. 7 winning the double gold medal is so fantastic as entries that receive this are rated by the judges to be among the finest products in the world.”
This year, Colombo No. 7 Gin entered the London Dry Gin category, Colombo No. 7 Ration Navy entered the Navy Strength Gins with a high ABV, and Ceylon Arrack was entered into the Other Spirits category.
According to Merricks, Rockland’s products have always been of the highest quality and have had a consistent taste, which made it stand out from the rest of the competition. He explained that Ceylon Arrack offers an interesting taste profile and has smoothness to it, while Colombo No. 7 Gin is a classic London dry gin with Sri Lankan spices and botanicals.
He stated that the demand for both Ceylon Arrack and Colombo No. 7 Gin comes from all over the world with enquiries coming every week asking for stock and its availability in the respective countries the brands are available in quite a few countries internationally. These products are currently available in many countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan and are also available at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and onboard Sri Lankan Airlines flights.
Merricks stated that the demand for these products also comes from the Aldi supermarket chain both in the UK and Australia, with over 21,000 bottles being sold in their UK stores alone.
“Both brands are doing very well internationally in HORECA (hospitality industry). For Ceylon Arrack, the usage in restaurants and bars in the UK is higher than the total usage of this premium arrack at home in Sri Lanka,” he stated.
Merricks stated that they are hoping new interest for the three products will come from international bars and restaurants that are looking to stock up on award-winning brands and enjoy working with them to make creative cocktails, while also having the two gin products in their gin menu listings alongside the best gins from all over the world. He went on to state that this will also attract many gin enthusiasts from around the world who would like to have these bottles in their collections.
“We are constantly marketing our brands to international markets, either through our distributors in other countries or by the Rockland team. We also participate in many exhibitions targeted for the bar, restaurant, and hotel sectors and many exhibitions that are consumer-based, where we can conduct tastings which are really enjoyed,” he shared. Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!