Last year, Bareksten Botanical Gin from Norway was awarded the coveted Double Gold Award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Read more about the gin of success from Norway.
Also, this year Bareksten Gin was awarded the Gold Award. “Green stalk and white pepper aromas. Clean, but with a slightly strange texture,” was one of the comments on the Norwegian handcrafted gin. Four years earlier, the gin did not exist, but today gin-lovers can buy the gin in 20 different countries.
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“In 2005, when the Norwegian alcohol market first opened up, the country was home to two distilleries, but neither of them was especially good at taking advantage of the new market,” says Stig Bareksten, founder and owner of OSS Craft Distillery. “I had an idea for a product, so I asked one of the distilleries to help me make it.”
The gin of success from Norway
The distillery outside Bergen, which was bought by Bareksten in 2014, was originally a biofuel facility. Today, OSS Craft Distillery produces aquavit, whisky, vodka, fruit liqueur and the world-renowned Bareksten Botanical Gin.
The distillery outside Bergen, is one of the new generation Norwegian distilleries springing up across the country. The gin is “bright zesty green juniper and pine aromas layered with red berries and earthy spice. A very smooth palate with a touch of sweet wood, cinnamon and citrus. Complex and elegant in style,” according to the judge panel.
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San Francisco World Spirits Competition
San Francisco World Spirits Competition is one of the longest-running of this type in the world. The Double Gold Award is only ‘awarded to the very few entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel; among the finest products in the world’.
“I am absolutely thrilled with this award. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is world-renowned and one of the most respected events of its type,” said Bareksten.
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Blind tasting
“All the judging is done by blind tasting, which means that it really does all come down to the flavor and quality of the spirits. To win Double Gold in the gin category feels amazing. It’s a fantastic achievement and really feels like vindication for all the hard work that has been put into Bareksten over the years. Out of more than 2,000 entries, just a handful received the Double Gold,’ said Stig Bareksten.
26 different botanicals
The distillery has chosen to cooperate with the international branding agency Kind to create and manage the overall branding and visual identity of Bareksten. “Bareksten Botanical Gin is truly on the world stage now. These awards are renowned internationally and the Double Gold achievement is something that is recognized the world over,” says Stig Bareksten.
“Bareksten Botanical Gin contains 26 different botanicals, 19 of which are locally sourced. They include wild berry, lingonberry, blueberry, rhubarb, elderflower and rosehip, to name just a few,” adds Stig Bareksten
The Gin of Success from Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg