The Big Big Gin Festival took place earlier this month days after crowning its event success at the Scottish Gin Awards.

The two-day event was staged at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange hot on the heels of being named ‘Scottish Gin Event of the Year’.

The libatious awards ceremony took place on Thursday 10thOctober at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Glasgow Central, and celebrated the very best in the Scottish ‘gindustry’.

Coming out on top was the Big Big Gin Festival which burst onto the drinks scene last year and quickly established itself as the biannual highlight in the calendar of gin lovers right across the country.

The key to its sell-out success is the commitment of the event organisers to keep each show ‘refreshingly different’. So as well as sipping samples from leading makers and craft distilleries, and watching expert mixologists shake up a storm over at the cocktail bars, returning visitors to the Big Big Gin Festival were able to discover something completely new. On the weekend of October 12-13, a brand-new and exclusive VIP terrace area were unveiled, plus visitors were among the first to experience the latest craze for ‘Gin and Yin’ yoga. 

The Big Big Gin Festival also played host to a range of masterclasses and a marketplace with a plethora of weird and wonderful gin-related products on sale. There were face-painters for that extra fun factor, fabulous food to savour, live music to add to the festival atmosphere, and selfie walls and a photobooth to capture the memories.

Reflecting on the award win, the owner of the Edinburgh Corn Exchange and creator of the Big Big Gin Festival, Paul DeMarco, said: “We work tirelessly all year round to ensure each Big Big Gin Festival is a fresh and exciting experience for the visitors and the exhibitors, and it looks like our hard work has paid off. To be crowned Scottish Gin Event of the Year is an absolute honour, and a real testament to the passion and commitment of the Edinburgh Corn Exchange team. We were delighted to celebrate with hundreds of fellow gin lovers at the weekend and show everyone what makes us worthy winners.”