Friday 12 June 2020 – RSA House, 8 John Adam St, London, WC2N 6EZ
Some of the world’s most respected personalities and experts from the drinks and gin trade will again come together to discuss the state of the gin industry and share their knowledge and expertise on all things gin, in the seventh annual Gin Guild organised Ginposium event.
The 2019 Ginposium (the Gin Guild gin industry annual conference, held on June 7th), was once again an informative day for members of the gin trade, with attendees from international brands to small two man concerns, mixer producers, bottle suppliers, marketing and design consultants, botanical suppliers and others from the industry.
The Ginposium was a perfect blend of content – from professional advice to thought provoking new products”.
Ginposium 2020 Ticket Prices
| Ticket Type | Early Bird Price † | Standard Price |
|---|---|---|
| Before 27th March 2020* | From 27th March 2020 | |
| Gin Guild Member ticket * | £140 | £180 |
| Standard Ticket | £200 | £240 |
| Distilling student Ticket | £140 | £180 |
Read more about the 2019 Ginposium event
As ever in 2020 the Gin Guild will ensure that the quality content is made available to the widest possible audience and that it remains accessible, as part of its mission to educate and inform the industry, media and beyond, by having the event professionally filmed and then placing the edited content on this website.
Resources from the 2019 event now available to download
| Ginposium 2019 programme | ||
| A leaf out of your book Developments in the botanical trade and how, in an expanding market and with variable climate conditions, one deals with quality control. | Tommy Haughton | Beacon Commodities |
| Bottling it Glass innovation – Bespoke or off the shelf, decoration, size and the design process. Design trends and innovation. Brand penetration, line extensions and scalability. | Nolan Kane | Allied Glass |
| Dark satanic stills? What today are the ‘stills traditionally used for gin? How does your still design affect your gin? | Dr Anne Brock | Bombay Sapphire |
| Growing pains Dead kings, grotesque gins and mighty big explosion. The journey from kitchen to micro distillery. A guide for distillery startups. | Ben Marston, | Puddingstone Distillery |
| Tutored gin tasting What’s new for 2019? This session looks at some of the more interesting new releases, as well as gin trends to keep an eye on. | David T Smith | SummerfruitCup.com |
| Structuring Sensory Practices for Gin Quality & Innovation Regardless of style, base spirit neutrality is extremely important. Off-notes cause adverse effect on flavour consistency and stability. | Evelyne Canterranne | FlavorActiV |
| Gin-personator! Protecting your brand & IP against look-a-likes and infringers | Ciara Cullen | RPC |
| Innovation and Educators clear the path for imitators and disrupters | Tom Warner | Warner’s Distillery |
| Gordon’s Gin: 250 years young 2019 is the 250th anniversary for Tanqueray Gordon & Co’s iconic gin. Notes on its recipe for success. | Terry Fraser Joanne McKerchar | Diageo |
| Striking the balance between creativity and compliance With increasing numbers of complaints about small and independent gins, it is more important than ever to stay on the right side of the Codes. | Alistair Taylor | The Portman Group |
| Ripsnorter – The gin view from Australia | Stuart Gregor | Four Pillars Distillery |
For films of previous events and more
See www.theginguild.com
All times are subject to change.
| Speaker(s) | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Anne Brock | The Gin Guild | Grand Rectifier of the Gin Guild and Master Distiller, Bombay Sapphire |
| Matthew Pauley | Heriot Watt University | Assistant professor and PhD student in The International Centre for Brewing and Distilling |
| Professor Scott Allen, CEng FIChemE | Allen Associates (HPE) Ltd | Managing Director |
| Ivan Bell | Stranger & Stranger | Packaging design and branding |
| Will Edge | Greensand Ridge Distillery | – winner of the 2019 Distillery Sustainability Award from the Spirits Business |
| David T Smith | Summerfruitcup.com | Spirit Author and Gin Judge |
| Chairman: Dr Anne Brock and Industry Panel | ||
| Joanne Moore | G&J Distillers and Quintessential Brands | Master Distiller |
| Alice Pearson | The Cotswold Distilling Company Ltd. | New Product Development |
| Gary Grant | Francis Taylor Building, Inner Temple | Licensing Barrister |
| Natasha Curtin | Bacardi Global Brands | Global Vice President, Bombay Sapphire |
| Professor Katherine Smart | Diageo | Global Technical Director & Professor at the University of Cambridge |
| Featuring Gin Guild founder member brands and Schweppes 1783 Signature mixers. | ||
All times are subject to change.
| To | From | Details | Speaker(s) | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09.00 | 09.20 | Registration | |||
| 09.20 | 09.30 | Opening remarks and introduction to the Gin Guild. | Dr Anne Brock | The Gin Guild | Grand Rectifier of the Gin Guild and Master Distiller, Bombay Sapphire |
| Please note these are Draft details at this stage - confirmed details will appear here nearer the time | |||||
| 09.30 | 10.00 | ‘Fingerprinting Juniper’ Very merry berry - juniper is key to gin The identification of specific markers for juniper. | Matthew Pauley | Heriot Watt University | Assistant professor and PhD student in The International Centre for Brewing and Distilling |
| 10.00 | 10.20 | Flaming Heck! - Safety compliance by design. Mitigating the dangers implicit in storage and production/working with high ABV spirit. | Professor Scott Allen, CEng FIChemE | Allen Associates (HPE) Ltd | Managing Director |
| 10.20 | 10.40 | Storytelling, perception and truth - A look at how well executed distinctive packaging design can add value to your brand. | Ivan Bell | Stranger & Stranger | Packaging design and branding |
| 10.40 | 11.15 | Coffee and networking | |||
| 11.15 | 11.35 | Drink Like You Think - the importance of production sustainability in a gin brand. Beyond the soundbite - integrating sustainability into your distillery. Quick wins and tough decisions in sustainable distilling. | Will Edge | Greensand Ridge Distillery | – winner of the 2019 Distillery Sustainability Award from the Spirits Business |
| 11.35 | 12.05 | Tutored gin tasting - what’s new for 2020? The world of gin is a fast-paced environment with constant innovation and there have been many new releases since last year’s Ginposium. This session looks at some of the more interesting new releases, as well as gin trends on which to keep an eye. | David T Smith | Summerfruitcup.com | Spirit Author and Gin Judge |
| 12.05 | 12.45 | Young Distillers Forum - Mentoring and support from the industry to ensure future proofing of appropriately qualified gin industry players TBA. | Chairman: Dr Anne Brock and Industry Panel | ||
| 12.45 | 13.05 | The good the bad and the ugly - A mindful innovation approach for Flavoured Gin’s and the role of botanicals and flavours within this ever expanding category. | Joanne Moore | G&J Distillers and Quintessential Brands | Master Distiller |
| 13.05 | 14.00 | Lunch and networking | |||
| 14.00 | 14.20 | Colour me beautiful - A wider application of the Gin-Note flavour profiling methodology (in distillery visitor tasting Experiences) to describe gin flavours. | Alice Pearson | The Cotswold Distilling Company Ltd. | New Product Development |
| 14.20 | 14.45 | Licensed to Spill - Retail licensing issues that distilleries and gin producers face under the Licensing Act 2003 | Gary Grant | Francis Taylor Building, Inner Temple | Licensing Barrister |
| 14.45 | 15.15 | Back by demand: Relaunching a brand - trials and tribulations, TBA | Natasha Curtin | Bacardi Global Brands | Global Vice President, Bombay Sapphire |
| 15.15 | 15.50 | Tea and networking | |||
| 15.50 | 16.20 | Sense and Sustainability | Professor Katherine Smart | Diageo | Global Technical Director & Professor at the University of Cambridge |
| 16.20 | 16.50 | Casting an Eagle eye on the US gin scene | Stephen Gould | Golden Moon Distillery | |
| 16.50 | 18:20 | Gin & Tonic and networking A selection of gin and mixer options | Featuring Gin Guild founder member brands and Schweppes 1783 Signature mixers. | ||
RSA HOUSE, 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ
Gin Specification
The Guild only recognises gin styles produced by distilling ethyl alcohol in stills traditionally used for gin, in the presence of juniper berries and other botanicals – provided that the juniper taste is predominant.
Gin Guild Management
The strategy of the Guild is set by a Management Committee made up of representatives from the four largest UK gin distillers (Diageo, Grants, Bacardi and Chivas), with other Guild members and Liverymen from the Worshipful Company of Distillers.
The titular head of the Guild is the Grand Rectifier. The four largest distilling companies are represented by Founder Wardens. Other gin distillers are represented by Warden Rectifiers. Individual Guild members are known as Rectifiers.
Gin Guild Membership
Membership is open to all (subject to gin distillers and brand owners meeting the Gin Guild Gin specification).
Applications for membership of the Guild should be addressed to the Gin Guild Director General (see contact details).
Benefits of Gin Guild Membership
As detailed in the Guild objectives, membership brings together Gin distillers and industry leaders involved in the production, promotion, distribution and consumption of Gin.
The Guild annually arrange, co-host and/or facilitate access for Guild members to a programme of gin related events and celebrations.
Current details are available on request, but include:
- Annual Gin tasting event
- Guild installation ceremonies (including an option for full members of Guild installation at the prestigious venue of the Mansion House, London, followed by a combined Banquet with the Worshipful Company of Distillers in the famous Egyptian Hall).
Gin Guild Promotion
The Gin Guild Website is regularly up-dated and the Guild produce a regular magazine covering both Guild events and gin articles.
Education and Development
The Guild develop its links and encourage further education and research into gin, and work with the London based Wine & Spirit Education Trust, the International Centre for Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London and the Distillation Department of Minnesota University, USA.
