LI-Made Gin Wins Gold at USA Spirits Ratings Competition

GREENPORT, NY — A gin created in a Greenport distillery recently took home the gold: Fear City Gin won two awards at the 2024 USA Spirits Ratings in San Francisco.

The gin won a gold medal and “Best in Show by Country” for the United States, Fear City said.

Launched in January 2024, the "modern, New American gin" was produced by award-winning distillery, Matchbook Distilling Company in Greenport, Fear City said.

At the competition, judges praised the gin's "complex yet easy to drink profile and harmonious notes of piney juniper, citrus, sage, eucalyptus, and cardamom," Fear City said.

The gin has a unique production element, Fear City said: It was created with sustainably grown sugar kelp (seaweed) from the Long Island Sound. The gin was crafted with seven botanicals — sugar kelp, rosemary, white sage, juniper, caraway, angelica, and coriander, Fear City said.

The sustainably grown sugar kelp from the Long Island Sound "offers a bright, fresh flavor and ethically sourced White Sage from Baja California that adds a subtly floral dimension," Fear City said.

The team works with kelp farmers from Long Island Sound who use regenerative aquaculture, a practice that helps the kelp and helps improve water quality and supports marine life in the area, Fear City said.

Next, the kelp is incorporated into the gin using a batch distillation technique, where each botanical is distilled individually allowing them to control the flavor and how it interacts with the other botanicals, Fear City said.

The packaging for the gin is made from recyclable glass bottles and ethically sourced buffalo bone closures from Southeast Asia, Fear City said.

"Winning these awards is particularly exciting because it proves that crafting world-class gin is possible while using sustainable ingredients. Many assume that working toward sustainability means sacrificing quality, but our gin shows otherwise. By sourcing locally whenever possible and ensuring all our botanicals are responsibly sourced, we not only support the environment but also elevate the flavor through fresher, higher-quality ingredients," Chris Davis, co-founder of Fear City Gin, told Patch.

The gin comes in a 750ml bottle that retails for $39.99 and is 80 proof / 40 percent ABV.