Lees noted: “A very diverse category, good to see natural flavours and very good to see balance achieved.” Non-alcoholic apéritif brand Everleaf has launched its Summer of Spritz campaign to reinforce the brand’s positioning as ‘the alcohol-free spritz of choice’. Everleaf is the official non-alcoholic sponsor of Pub In The Park Everleaf has also been named as the official non-alcoholic sponsor of The Pig Hotel Group’s Smoked and Uncut festivals, as well as all nine of chef Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park festivals, where attendees will be able to enjoy a range of the brand’s Spritzes at its two-story bar.

The brand also walked away with a Gold medal for their Takamaka Dark Spiced rum. Both are bottled at 38% ABV. By definition, non-alcoholic refers to any drink with less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (or ABV). Simply put, the alcohol can't build up in your blood as your body processes it nearly as fast as you drink it. Take a pint of 0.5% beer, for example, which sits at about 0.28 units of alcohol, and has roughly the same ABV as a very ripe banana. Yep. Nine Gold medals gave this round a boost, with winners including: “refreshing, balanced and slightly sweet” De Kuyper Fizzy Watermelon; Fluère RTD Negroni, with “soft bitters, sweet orange” aromas; and “crowd‐pleaser” De Kuyper Fizzy Peachtree, which did “exactly what it says on the tin”. But since the rise of the Aperol Spritz around the world in recent years, both bartenders and brands have been pushing the boundaries of the Spritz, meaning there’s no shortage of options nowadays. It offers a simple yet effective blueprint for creating twists on the classic, and for showcasing various brands too, not only aperitif-style drinks but flavoured spirits and more. This is particularly prevalent during the warmer months – Spritzes are synonymous with the summer, after all. It was a Gold medal presented to this non-chill-filtered single malt whisky from the west coast of Scotland.Two Silver medals were also awarded in this flight, with one going to Merser Small Rum, and a second to Vegvisir. Move over vodka, rum and gin, the next-gen spirits are here and they're probably not what you were expecting. As interest in booze-free alternatives continues to grow, so too do the fun, innovative and grown-up alternatives on offer.

In the following flight – Non‐Alcoholic Dark ‘Spirit’ (less than 0.5% ABV) – three Golds and three Silvers were awarded.This exclusive and rare bottling contained a liquid with “beautiful honey and cream around the palate” with red fruit notes and cigar smoke on the finish. Bottled at cask strength, the Single Barrel whiskies from Uncle Nearest have all been aged for a minimum for 11 years. In the Lower‐Alcohol (26% to 30% ABV) round, meanwhile, Beefeater Botanics Lemon and and Ginger walked away with an impressive Gold medal. A large flight of Non‐Alcoholic White ‘Spirit’ (less than 0.5% ABV) delivered a pair of Master medallists.