Spirit Hound takes home the only US gold medal from this year’s London Spirits Competition
Lyons, Colo., April 5, 2021 — Spirit Hound Distillers took home the gold medal at the leading international London Spirits Competition last week for its Straight Malt Whisky, receiving the highest quality rating of any US-based spirit in the competition.
The London Spirits Competition is a prestigious, international spirits competition organized by Beverage Trade Network that looks to recognize spirits from around the world that have successfully been created to tick all the boxes – quality, value, and packaging.
Receiving the top score of any whisky in the competition with 96 points, Spirit Hound’s Straight Malt Whisky is made with all-Colorado ingredients and distilled the ‘Spirit Hound way’ on two stills designed and built by hand by Founder and Head Distiller Craig Engelhorn in Lyons, Colo. The Straight Malt Whisky features an all-malt recipe made with Colorado-grown malted barley and a dash of peat-smoked malt barley, all grown and malted in small batches by the Colorado Malting Company in Alamosa, Colorado. Aged for more than 2 years in new, fully charred American oak barrels before being bottled in an unblended, single-barrel fashion, Spirit Hound’s Straight Malt Whisky features aromas of oak, toffee, caramel, turbinado sugar, light smoke, and a silky body.
“Our Single Malt Whisky was the inspiration for the distillery. We set out with a mission to make a delicious, all-Colorado whisky and we’re proud to be here 10 years later, earning international awards,” says Engelhorn. “The London Spirits Competition is internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious, top competitions. It is such an honor to be recognized among such a strong representation of spirits from around the world.”
In addition to Spirit Hound’s Straight Malt Whisky winning Whisky of the Year and Best In Show by Country, the distillery also received a silver medal and 78 points for its Barrel-Finished Gin and a bronze medal and 75 points for its Rye Whisky.
The 2022 Competition saw 160 from the United States, 447 entries from the United Kingdom as the top entrant country, followed by 323 products from Australia. 771 Gins made Gin the top category entrant followed by Whiskey and Rum.
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About Spirit Hound Distillers Resonating from the gritty small town of Lyons, situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, comes Spirit Hound Distillers and unique crafted spirits years in the making. Since its launch in 2012, Spirit Hound’s reputation originates in a hands-on approach to the craft of distilling. Co-founders Craig Engelhorn, Matt Rooney and Neil Sullivan and the Spirit Hound team take traditional and classic recipes that come to life with local, hand-selected ingredients distilled through hand-built-from-scratch stills and distillation equipment in search of one-of-a-kind processes and flavors.
Spirit Hound offerings include: an acclaimed Straight Malt Whisky (94 rating, Jump Murray’s Whisky Bible / Double Gold, 2018 “The Fifty Best” American Malt Whiskies / Best Whisky of The Year and Best In Show By Country, 2022 London Spirits Competition), Honey Whisky (Double Gold, 2019 Breckenridge Spirits Festival), Spirit Hound Gin (Silver, 2015 Beverage Testing Institute / Gold, 2021 Denver International Spirits Competition / Silver, 2022 London Spirits Competition), Rye Whisky (Bronze, , 2022 London Spirits Competition), Mountain Bum Rum, Single Barrel Bourbon (Gold, 2021 Denver International Spirits Competition), Sambuca (Best Herbal Liqueur, American Distilling Institute) and an un-aged version of its whisky called White Dog Moonshine.
Currently, Spirit Hound products are available in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. The tasting room is located on the St. Vrain River at 4196 Ute Highway/US Route 36 Lyons, CO 80540 and is a popular destination for lovers of distilled spirits and handcrafted cocktails.
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