Caorunn Storytellers Global
Cocktail Challenge 2012

Set in the Scottish Highlands, taking its inspiration from Celtic tradition, Caorunn reinvents gin by combining hand distillation techniques with locally sourced botanicals. The perfect marriage of the traditional and the contemporary, creating a true modern classic.

In 2012 Caorunn Gin launched a worldwide search for a Caorunn Storytellers who could create an amazing, original Caorunn drink and tell us the story behind it. See the results below!

Competition Results

Caorunn Gin is delighted to announce that 25-year-old bartender Iain Griffiths, from Edinburgh’s Bramble Bar, has been crowned the winner of innovative global cocktail competition - Caorunn Storytellers 2012.

Caorunn Gin challenged the world’s bartenders to create a new Caorunn cocktail and showcase the story behind it. The standard was dazzling throughout, with bartenders taking inspiration from Caorunn’s Scottish Story and Celtic botanicals to create a modern drink inspired by the classic cocktails of the past.

There were four regional finalists from four countries.

• USA Leslie Ross of Beaver’s Ice House in Houston, Texas, winning the US Final at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans on July 26th with her Brewdog Dogma ale
• Maria Mayora, of the High Tech Tamarises Hotel in Bilbao who won the Spanish Storytellers Final in Madrid with her ‘Beltane’ cocktail.
• Iain Griffiths from Edinburgh’s Bramble won the Scottish title with their innovative drink The Red Loch
• William Underwood from Plymouth’s M&C Consultancy won the English title with his cocktail Oracle’s Promise.

The Prize

The regional finalists were invited to an all expenses paid trip to Scotland, culminating in the Grand Final in Edinburgh.

• Saturday - Balmenach Distillery, where Caorunn is produced, for a private tour of the gin plant. They visited the botanical fields, witnessing the first fruits of our coul blush apple trees. Followed by a unique fine-dining experience at the Mukrach Lodge hotel .
• Sunday - back to Edinburgh, where the finalists received their mystery cocktail making baskets with 12 ingredients to start work on their second drink for the final. In the evening Edinburgh Festival fireworks and dinner at Harvey Nichols luxury department store crowned the day.
• Monday - Global Final at the world renowned Bramble in Edinburgh, Scotland. All four finalists showcased their winning drink as well as the second cocktail, created and inspired during their weekend Scotland prior to the final. The expert panel of judges made up of Simon Difford (www.diffordsguide.com ), Geraldine Coates (www.gintime.com ), Ryan Chetiyawardana, (www.sipstir.co.uk/about/ )and Ervin Trykowski (Caorunn Brand Ambassador).

The Results

The judging panel were dazzled by Iain’s exceptional cocktail – ‘The Damson Chamber’. To create the drink he used a mixture of ingredients, including an unusual combination of damson berries steamed with juniper and rowan berry. Iain was inspired by the smells of both Balmenach Distillery and early mornings in Edinburgh, which he said were a mixture of breweries and mist and the perfect combination for a walk home after a late shift at Bramble.

Iain Griffiths took home a cash prize of £1,500, as well as being honoured with the esteemed title of Caorunn Global Storyteller 2012, with his winning drink being promoted worldwide as a signature Caorunn cocktail.