DE KUYPER WINS TWO TROPHIES FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW AT INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS CHALLENGE 2020

DUTCH DISTILLER IS “LIQUEUR PRODUCER OF THE YEAR” AND ACQUA BIANCA SCORES BEST IN LIQUEURS

Schiedam, 29 October 2020 – De Kuyper Royal Distillers has been awarded two trophies in the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2020: the highlight trophy as “Liqueur Producer of the Year” and the trophy in the liqueurs category for Acqua Bianca. A trophy is the highest accolade a brand can receive from the ISC and is regarded as one of the most respected and sought-after awards in the drinks industry. ISC trophy winners represent the very best in their specific category and are selected by an expert panel of more than 50 world renowned specialist judges. De Kuyper Royal Distillers was named Liqueur Producer of the Year for the second year in a row after a fantastic set of results in 2020. Two trophies, two gold medals, eight silver and twelve bronze medals make it hard to argue a case against the Dutch company winning this award again.

“It is a such an honour for us to receive two trophies at this year’s International Spirits Challenge again. This result acknowledges our expertise, underlines the achievements of our business transformation and confirms our position as an industry mover,” comments Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper.

This is an important year for De Kuyper Royal Distillers. Along with having been in business for 325 years, the family firm is in the midst of a business transformation. Under the motto “thirsty for more” the company is honouring the past, celebrating the present and looking forward to a promising future by democratising and premiumising cocktails – a future in which the family business aims to continue to lead the global cocktail liqueur market by continuously innovating in accordance with its “Own the Cocktail” vision.

Enabling everybody to mix great-tasting cocktails applies to Acqua Bianca as well. This premium liqueur is the creation of Salvatore Calabrese, aka “The Maestro,” together with De Kuyper Royal Distillers – who jointly revived and reworked a recipe taken from an old, late 19th century book using ingredients from Salvatore’s native Italy. Acqua Bianca adds extravagance and that special extra to create legendary cocktails.

International Spirits Challenge director Justin Smith said “It was an honour to celebrate the achievements of so many fantastic spirits producers around the world during an unprecedented time for the industry. Our team worked tirelessly to overcome logistical barriers and deliver the ISC to an extremely high standard, and the results highlight just how much dynamism, innovation and quality there is in the global drinks industry”.

“Following our global company vision to ‘Own the Cocktail’ we want to show people across the world that with our premium liqueurs and our easy recipes everybody can mix a great cocktail in seconds. Winning this prestigious award for the second year in a row will help us to convince even more consumers and bartenders of our first-class liqueurs that are the essence of great-tasting cocktails,” explains Albert de Heer, Marketing Director Global Brands at De Kuyper Royal Distillers.