The Drinks Business Awards 2018: the winners

We are delighted to reveal the winners of 2018’s Drinks Business Awards, which were announced yesterday afternoon at a ceremony at the London Wine Fair.

Engineered to recognise and reward top performers across the international drinks industry, this year’s winners drew attention to the rising prominence of English sparkling wine brands, the strength of the fine wine and whisky sectors, and the importance of investment in staff training, market research and product development.

They also celebrated the rise of one company in particular, with The Whisky Exchange and its founder, Sukhinder Singh, featuring prominently in this, the 15th year db has held an awards ceremony at the London Wine Fair.

A full report on each winning person, brand and business will appear on thedrinksbusiness.com at a later date, complete with pictures and judges comments, while today we bring you a list of the winners in each category, beginning with our awards for the leaders in drinks design.

 

Best Design & Packaging in Wine

Winner

Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino by Stranger & Stranger

Special Commendation

Le Nez Moments range by M.P. Wines

Shortlist
• BD Creative for the Spar wine range
• Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino by Stranger & Stranger
• Garçon Wines for Delivering Happiness
• Le Nez Moments range by M.P. Wines

Best Design & Packaging in Spirits          

Winner

Chapel Down Bacchus Gin & Chardonnay Vodka

Special Commendation

Hellstrøm Sommer Aquavit designed by Olsson Barbieri

Shortlist

• Chapel Down Bacchus Gin & Chardonnay Vodka
• Hellstrøm Sommer Aquavit by Moestue Grape Selections
• Phenomenology by Stranger & Stranger
• Woolf Sung The Hunter by Stranger & Stranger

 

Best Sustainable Packaging

 

Winner

Omdesign 2016

Sparflex award for English Sparkling wine packaging

Winner

Digby Fine English

Special commendation

Rathfinny Wine Estate 

Shortlist

• Black Chalk
• Digby Fine English
• Hoffmann & Rathbone
• Rathfinny Wine Estate

 

Consumer Campaign of the Year

Winner

Clementine Communications for Cointreau #1Orange1Tree

Special commendation

Hope & Glory for Meantime DN-Ale

Shortlist

• Clementine Communications for Cointreau #1Orange1Tree
• Democracy for Eisberg’s Tour of Britain
• Hope & Glory for Meantime DN-Ale
• Seedlip Dry January

Trade Campaign of the Year

Winner

The Benevolent for #NotAlone

Shortlist

• Atom Supplies for Ableforth’s Underground
• The Benevolent for #NotAlone
• YG Design for Alto Vuelo Kaiken

 

Best Launch

Winner

Lanchester Wines and The Co-op for the Members’ Choice Pioneer Pinot Grigio

Social Media Campaign of the Year

Winner

Master of Malt for #WhiskySanta

Drinks Event of the Year

Winner

The Whisky Exchange for The Cognac Show

Special commendation

Wine Australia for Women in Wine

• Buckingham Schenk Viñalba pop-up shop
• emma wellings pr and Ramón Bilbao for Discovering Ramon Bilbao: A London adventure
• The Whisky Exchange for The Cognac Show
• Wine Australia Women in Wine

 

PR Company of the Year

Winner

Clarion Communications

Special commendation

Phipps Relations

Shortlist

• Chapman Poole
• Clarion Communications
• Hope & Glory
• Natasha Najm PR
• Phipps Relations

Best Logistics Company of the Year

Winner

JF Hillebrand

Special commendation

Kuehne + Nagel

Supply Chain Initiative of the Year

Winner

Liv-ex, for LWIN

 

On-trade Supplier of the Year

Winner

Liberty Wines

Special commendation

Speciality Drinks

Shortlist

• Bancroft Wines
• House of Townend
• Liberty Wines
• Speciality Drinks

Drinks Company of the Year

Liberty Wines

Shortlist

• Atom Supplies
• Liberty Wines
• Love Drinks
• R&B Distillers

 

Independent Retailer of the Year

Winner

Borough Wines & Beers

Special commendation

Taurus Wines

Shortlist

• Borough Wines & Beers
• House of Townend
• Jeroboams
• Taurus Wines
• The Whisky Exchange

The Drinks Retailer of the Year

Winner

Waitrose

Shortlist

• Aldi
• Master of Malt
• The Co-op
• Waitrose

Online Retailer of the Year

Winner

The Whisky Exchange

Special commendation

Master of Malt

Shortlist

• 31Dover.com
• Master of Malt
• The Whisky Exchange
• Virgin Wines Online

Fine Wine Retailer of the Year

Winner

Harrods

Special commendation

New Street Wine

 

Retail Buying Team of the Year

Winner

Majestic

Special commendation

Waitrose

Shortlist

• Aldi
• Majestic
• Master of Malt
• Waitrose

Retail Buyer of the Year

Spirits buyer of the year

Guy Hodcroft

Wine buyer of the year

Xenia Irwin MW

Best Contribution to Wine and Spirits Tourism

Winner

Susana Balbo Wines 

Special Commendation

Gusbourne Estate

Special Commendation

R&D Distillers

 

The Alan Lodge Award for Young Drinks Writer of the Year

Dan Q. Dao

 

Young Achiever

Tom Bell

 

Woman of the Year

Cristina Mariani-May

 

Man of the Year

Sukhinder Singh

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Tony Laithwaite