It’s official: The coveted KWV Cruxland Gin is now the best London Dry Gin in the world – a first for South African gins. After final tastings by acclaimed judges all over the world, KWV Cruxland Gin was named the World’s Best London Dry Gin at the 2020 World Gin Awards in London on 27 February.

For the first time in history, a South African gin has secured this title. KWV’s celebrated Cruxland Gin did not only beat entries from England, the king of gin, but also France, Japan, Canada, Germany, China, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium and Sweden.

Presented by the popular resource for drinks professionals, The Drinks Report, the globe’s best tasting and best designed gins were announced at the Honourable Artillery Company in London during the Gin Magazine Awards Dinner. Preceding Cruxland’s announcement as overall winner for the World’s Best London Dry Gin, the brand scored a category win during the awards’ first-round results in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

According to Anita Ujszaszi, awards director for the World Gin Awards, over 150 gin brands from 39 countries entered this year’s London Dry Gin category. “Judges unanimously agreed that Cruxland is tremendously clean and well-balanced with a beautiful fragrance. A fantastic example of a London Dry Gin. Considering the increased number of high-quality entries, our international judging panel was very impressed.”

It’s a sentiment also shared by Kurt Schlechter, well-known South African drinks consultant. “I absolutely love the growth of gin and the simultaneous development of people’s palates. Drinking has become more sophisticated in South Africa, and we can mostly thank the gin category for that. To have an award-winning gin, you need three things: an exceptional product, passionate people and staying power. Cruxland has all of the above.”

Pieter de Bod, KWV Master Distiller, says the spirits team is honoured and humbled to be chosen as the World’s Best London Dry Gin. “It’s the biggest acknowledgement the distillery could have ever hoped for. London Dry Gin is one of the biggest gin categories – to win this award, beating hundreds of gins from various countries, makes this very special. Cruxland is a juniper-forward style gin using the London Dry Gin production technique – all flavours must be imparted through distillation.”

KWV CEO Boyce Lloyd comments: “We are delighted for KWV to not only lead the way within the South African gin landscape, but now the international landscape. This accolade is a testament to our spirits team’s dedication, passion, and our love for creating a unique and much-loved product. We couldn’t be more proud.”