Nick Gillett: Do awards really help spirits brands?

By Nick Gillett

Published: 27 October, 2025

Let’s get one thing out of the way: awards are not magic. They don’t instantly make your bottle fly off shelves or guarantee a global listing. But they can shift the conversation, open doors, and, if used smartly, add real commercial leverage.

Let’s be honest, everyone loves a shiny sticker. Producers get bragging rights, PR teams get a press release, distributors get an easier pitch, and consumers get a shortcut in a crowded aisle. Yet the real question is: how often does that translate into results? And is it worth the entry fees, the shipping headaches, and the bottles sacrificed to competitions that don’t give you much back?

I was lucky enough to judge at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles recently – a week of blind tasting with 3,000 spirits from across the globe, assessed by people who really know their onions. What struck me was this: in the judging room, medals are about rigour and feedback, a way to test liquids against their peers and push producers to do better. But once those medals leave the room, they morph into something else entirely: sales tools, shortcuts for busy buyers, and marketing currency. But also badges of status, a way for brands to stand shoulder-to-shoulder (or above) their competitors.

The prestige ladder: global vs local

If you’re a brand that only dreams of selling in your local indie, a UK award might be enough. But for any brand with ambition beyond the M25, global awards are the ones that carry weight.

Take the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). A KEDGE Business School survey of more than 3,000 producers who had won IWSC medals found 55% said the award helped deliver stronger sales, and those with a Trophy reported a bigger impact, estimating an average uplift of ~9% in visibility and credibility.

Then there’s the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), arguably the most talked-about globally. In 2023 it drew nearly 6,000 entries, making it one of the largest in history, and organisers report medal-winning brands often see a 5–10% sales bump the following year.

In other words, if your brand wants export credibility, IWSC, SFWSC, and a handful of other international contests (Concours Mondial, Ultimate Spirits Challenge), are the ones that buyers and distributors recognise.

The danger of dilution

Sometimes awards do trigger exactly the kind of outcome every brand dreams of. And for small players, a medal isn’t just recognition, it’s lifeblood. In a market where the big beasts dominate shelf space, one stellar award can be the difference between obscurity and survival.

But here’s the problem: when every gin on the shelf seems to have a medal or five, the signal gets lost in the noise. To my mind, some contests are blatantly pay-to-play, with hefty entry fees, sample costs, and freight charges, as well as medals that seem to be handed out liberally. The sheer proliferation of awards risks devaluing the real achievements.

That said, it’s precisely those small brands that stand to lose most if awards become just glitter. For them, a medal can still cut through the cacophony. Maybe that’s why the industry should worry less about quantity and more about rigour. And let’s be clear: a UK-only medal might charm a London retailer, but it won’t move the dial overseas.

Distribution: the real leverage

From a distributor’s perspective, medals are currency. They don’t close the deal, but they buy you time and attention. It signals quality instantly to importers and buyers who don’t have hours to debate liquid. It’s shorthand that can smooth export conversations and get your bottle into the right rooms.

But here’s the rub: once you’re past the sticker, everything else still has to stack up. Price, margin, and above all, the liquid. A medal might open the door, but it won’t keep you on the shelf if the spirit doesn’t deliver.

Picking your battles

Not all medals are created equal, and not all judges are either. Some panels are stacked with respected buyers, bartenders, and category experts; others feel more like they’ve raided the LinkedIn “interested in drinks” list.

Think about geography too. There’s no point winning a gong in an award show nobody’s heard of outside your postcode if your sights are set on Paris or the US. And ask yourself what the organisers give you in return: do they generate headlines, throw a gala worth shouting about, or hand you the assets to make your PR team look clever?

Above all, have a plan for what you’ll actually do if you win. A medal shoved in a drawer is worthless. Stick it on the bottle, shout about it on social, give your distributor the tools to pitch with confidence.

And here’s the thing: why enter at all if the liquid isn’t up to scratch? Of course, what counts as 'good' is subjective – one judge’s gold medal might be another’s shrug. But if your spirit doesn’t have some spark of quality to begin with, no award will carry it very far. The liquid still has to do the heavy lifting.

A tool, not a trophy cabinet

So, do awards help spirits brands? Yes, but only selectively. For brands with global ambition, the real leverage lies in the top-tier awards with international credibility. Local medals may have their place, but they won’t land you in Paris cocktail bars or across the shelves of the US.

And remember: a medal is only half the job. The real work comes after – activating the story, winning over buyers, and persuading consumers that your bottle isn’t just pretty, but worth their cash. Awards are a tool, not a trophy cabinet. Used wisely, they can accelerate your journey. Used blindly, they just add clutter to the shelf.

Nick Gillett is MD of premium spirit specialist Mangrove UK.

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