This month, The World Gin Awards announced Durham Distillery’s CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin won the “Best” in the United States in the Navy Strength Gin category – for the second consecutive year, and CONNIPTION American Dry Gin earned a Gold Medal in the Contemporary Gin category.
“As gin distillers, these are among the most impressive honors we could receive,” exclaimed President and CEO Melissa Katrincic. “This could not have come at a more significant time in the growth of Conniption Gins – just months after securing a strategic investment from Constellation Brands, as part of their “Focus on Female Founders” Program, and prior to debuting Corpse Reviver – our gin cocktail bar opening this Spring.”
“For CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin to have earned the American “BEST” accolade for the second year in a row is incredible. Additionally, with the GOLD awarded to CONNIPTION American Dry Gin, it emphasizes that CONNIPTION gins are held in the highest regard with our international colleagues” said co-founder and head distiller, Lee Katrincic and who is recognized as a master gin distiller. Both Lee and Melissa were inducted to The Gin Guild in London in 2018 and as such are the first gin distillers from the American South in the Guild.
Every year, the London-held World Gin Awards selects the very best gins among the internationally recognized gin styles and promotes the world’s best gins to consumers and trade across the globe. CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin, which won for the United States in the “TASTE” category, was judged by an international panel of journalists, specialist drinks retailers and industry experts. CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin will now be entered to win the “Best” in its Navy Strength Gin category from all countries. The winner of this overall award – as well as the “World’s Best Gin” – will be announced on February 27th at the Gin Magazine Awards Dinner in London.
Durham Distillery – known for modern techniques and uncompromised quality – introduced CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin upon opening in 2015. CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin – a traditional and storied style of gin which must be a minimum of 57% alcohol – is among the core distilled spirits at Durham Distillery, in addition to CONNIPTION American Dry Gin. At Durham Distillery, this modern gin benefits from a novel two-step process whereby a gin base is produced from a vapor infusion in Durham Distillery’s custom-designed German pot still, lovingly named “Gertrude,” after Melissa’s grandmother. Botanicals such as Indian coriander, caraway, rosemary, and cardamom juxtapose the classic juniper. Accents of fig are individually vacuum-distilled at room temperature and then blended into the gin base, providing an aromatic and bright finish that is simultaneously smooth and powerful.
CONNIPTION gins are among the most awarded gins distilled in the US today. Since launching in 2015, Durham Distillery has earned more than 50 national and international awards and in 2018 was named the #1 Craft Gin Distillery in the U.S. by USA Today’s “10 Best.” In 2017, CONNIPTION Navy Strength Gin earned a DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and in 2018, an Innovation in Business Award from the Triangle Business Journal for its canned cocktails. Durham Distillery is the leader in the South’s Gin renaissance, and Melissa Katrincic is recognized as one of the prominent female distillery owners in the U.S.
Look for Corpse Reviver to open later this Spring, and for Melissa and Lee Katrincic and CONNIPTION GIN to be featured at Charleston Wine & Food Festival March 6-8th, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival May 28th-31st, and at Bar Convent in Brooklyn June 9-10th.
