After months of rigorous testing by the in-house experts from the Great British Food Awards, they have now revealed the trade shortlist for this year’s annual Awards.

Grasmere Distillery has been shortlisted in two award categories. The first is Grasmere Distillery Sugar Beet Vodka, in the Vodka category, and the second is Grasmere Golden Rum, in the Rum category.

Now the shortlisted products are on their way to be judged by a panel of celebrity chefs, writers, influencers and buyers, before the winning product as well as two finalists in each category are then sent to each category’s expert judge, who will then be tasked with picking the overall winner before the regional and national winners and runners up being announced on 28th October, in the winter issue of Great British Food Magazine.

The Great British Food Awards were launched in 2014 and are specifically designed to celebrate the very best artisanal produce in the food and drink industry, from flavoured gins to frozen desserts. The judging panel comprises some of the most acclaimed chefs, food critics and influencers in the country, including the likes of Simon Rogan, Sally Abe, Nina Matsunaga, Jack Bond, Dan McGeorge, Vivek Singh, Seema Pankhania, Lucy Charles, and Raymond Blanc, which provides entrants with an opportunity to have their produce tasted by some of the UK's most influential foodies.

Grasmere Distillery Co-Founder and Head Distiller Paul Abbot remarked: ‘’Being shortlisted in two categories at the Great British Food Awards is fantastic news. We’re proud to be one of only a few grain-to-glass distilleries in the UK, crafting our spirits entirely from scratch. It's incredibly rewarding to see that recognised.

Grasmere Distillery Sugar Beet Vodka is an ultra-clean, intriguing spirit with a unique character. Smoother than a grain or potato vodka, with subtle orchard notes, think apple and pear with a hint of the sugar bowl, but not sweet. Delivering the perfect sipping vodka neat or served over ice.

Our Golden Rum is based on our molasses wash and dunder pit, fermented slowly with house yeast, then distilled twice on copper pot stills and then aged in heavily charred Rioja casks. It has a classic Demerara sugar finish, with tropical fruits, toffee and sweet oak.’’

The list of shortlisted retailers can be found via the link on the Awards website: https://www.greatbritishfoodawards.com/shortlist