The Alcohol-Free Drink Sector continues to rise in the US spirits world and this year Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso and Lyre’s Dark Cane Spirit were awarded Gold Medals.
In the brand’s first year on the market, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits has been awarded ten medals at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), reflecting the brand’s excellence in the creation of non-alcoholic spirits.
Now in its 20th year, the SFWSC is one of the most influential spirits competitions in the world, judged by a panel of 52 leading industry experts.
Gold medals were awarded to Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso and Dark Cane Spirit, while Aperitif Dry, Amaretti, Coffee Originale, and Spiced Cane Spirit received silver medals. In addition, Lyre’s Orange Sec, Dry London Spirit, White Cane Spirit, and American Malt were recognized with bronze medals.
“The San Francisco World Spirits Competition has seen an increase the past few years with non-alcoholic entries and this is the first year that they have placed exceptionally well with Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits,” said Anthony Dias Blue, the competition’s founder and executive director.
“The judges tasted Lyre’s against alcoholic counterparts in the aperitif, coffee liqueur, fruit liqueur, nut liqueur, other whiskey, and sugar cane spirits categories. It was exciting to discover non-alcoholic products that could sit on the back bar like an alcoholic spirit and the medals reflect how impressed we were with the quality across the range.”
The 2020 SFWSC competition was the biggest in its history, featuring almost 3,000 entries in various categories. The awards are the result of Lyre’s creator and co-founder Mark Livings’ desire to create a non-alcoholic product line that captures as closely as possible, the flavours and aromas of the world’s favourite spirits.
The brand is named in honour of the lyrebird, an Australian breed known for its ability to mimic the birdsong of any other creature it hears. The Lyre’s range draws from a library of over 12,500 extracts, all-natural essences and distillates to replicate classic spirits, all derived from a proprietary mix of international fruits, spices, and botanicals. The portfolio now surpasses all others brands in the category, having claimed the most awards for flavour and taste.
“It is brilliant to see Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits honoured with such a prestigious set of awards and I am even more pleased to see non-alcoholic spirits participating in and winning awards at competitions like the San Francisco World Spirits Competition,” says Livings.
“As the movement toward lower ABV and zero-proof drinks continues to rise, Lyre’s offers consumers an option to enjoy their drink, their way. We believe our collective medals from highly controlled blind tasting competitions makes Lyre’s the most awarded non-alcoholic spirit brand globally and undeniably reinforces the credibility of this new category and our range and flavour leadership”
Other award milestones include Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso receiving a double gold from the 2019 SommCon’s Concours d’Spirits competition presented by The Somm Journal, one of only five double gold medals presented across all categories and the only non-alcoholic product to be judged blind by the tasting panel against full-strength counterparts. Lyre’s Orange Sec, White Cane Spirit and Aperitif Dry received silver medals.
The Lyre’s collection is available for purchase on www.lyres.com.au. For at-home cocktail inspiration, follow @LyresSpiritCo and search #StaySpirited on Instagram.
