Video: IFE World Food Innovation Awards – best artisan drink

This year, the World Food Innovation Awards responded to rising interest in microbreweries and local farm producers in the beverage industry by introducing a new category – best new artisan beverage concept – for products standing out with their commitment to tradition and craft, from their recipes and processing methods to packaging designs and ingredients.

Inspired by the first Franklin & Sons recipes dating back to Victorian times, the cloudy apple and yorkshire rhubarb with cinnamon is the latest addition to the 130-year-old brand’s natural adult soft drinks and tonics range that combines exceptional ingredients sourced from around the world.

Another soft drink that stands out in the category is Newton’s Appl Fizics, a new and healthy sparkling apple juice drink containing approximately 40% less sugar than apple juice on its own. The inspiration behind the brand is the country’s best known scientist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton. The artisan drink’s packaging cleverly captures the moment when he discovered gravity after witnessing an apple falling to the ground.

Tenzing Natural Energy Drink on the other hand is a natural functional drink. The formulation was based on a natural energiser of the Sherpa people and is a stimulating brew used for decades to fuel expeditions on Mount Everest. This brew also inspired their name,Tenzing, chosen in honour of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two men to reach the top of the world’s highest mountain.

Bringing an added convenience and functionality to artisan beverages in the category, Muddle & Mash is a range of premium, crafted, pre-mixed virgin cocktails, which can be drunk as a delicious adult drink as an alternative to alcohol, or can be mixed with spirits and enjoyed as a high-end alcoholic cocktail. The packaging is designed to leave a gap at the top of the bottle so a shot of spirit can be added directly into the bottle before being shaken. This versatility to freshly make and shake up a cocktail secured the brand airline listings in the past year.

Further to the adult drinks surfacing in the category, The Sweet Potato Spirit Company’s quirky range of premium spirits and liqueurs are all made using the sweet flesh of the friendliest of all carbs, sweet potatoes. The range is a UK first, elevating the humble sweet potato to a higher level using traditional artisan methods.

Isfyord revokes the century-old Arctic expeditions through its premium Arctic gin and vodka, which are distilled with one of nature’s best kept secrets: the extremely pure and super-soft water from icebergs that naturally break away from the ice cap in Greenland. This unique process ensures a superior smoothness for spirit enthusiasts.

Finally, Silent Pool gin is a signature product created by the artisan brand’s master distiller. The gin takes its name from the mythical spring-fed Silent Pool, and the water from this pool is used in the production of the spirit. Each batch is crafted by hand in a bespoke copper still, designed exclusively for the distillery. What’s more, the still is powered by the traditional method of burning locally sourced hardwood in a vintage steam boiler. The fresh spring water pumped from the Silent Pool, and the carefully selected fine botanicals, come together to create a smooth, full-flavoured gin that is traditional yet refreshingly individual.

Finalists and winners in the 20 categories of the World Food Innovation Awards 2016 were announced at a special ceremony at Hotelympia at ExCel in London on 1 March. To see the full list of winners and finalists, click here.