The travel retail sector is compelling, competitive, and free from traditional preconceptions – from luxury limited editions to value bargains, we present the best value bottlings in the channel.

The Spirits Business held its annual Travel Retail Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges recognised the best bottlings in the business.

Looking across multiple categories, from vodka to Scotch, new launches to marketing campaigns, a wide range of travel retail spirits were awarded the top accolades of Master and Gold medals for their quality.

The individual scores of each entrant have not been revealed, however these are 10 of the highest rated medalists in the competition, in no particular order.

While some expressions are not standard priced, our judges have given each travel retail sprit listed here the seal of approval for offering excellent quality within their respective price categories.

Click through to the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money travel retail spirits of 2016.

Tovaritch!

Price: approx £11

Tovaritch! was a standout medallist in the Masters, securing a Master straight off the bat in Vodka– Travel Retail Exclusive, where it was described as “head and shoulders above the rest of the flight”. The expression was said to be “very well integrated from start to finish” with “a beautiful grip” and “a freshness and a loveliness”. The vodka brand also secured a Gold medal in the Marketing Campaigns category for its innovative Never Drink Alone! campaign. The panel applauded the “bold”, “striking” and “textured” graphics used in the advertising materials – a modern take on the Russian doll that “communicates provenance and heritage in a new and interesting way”.

Hernö Juniper Cask Gin

Price: approx £50

The creation of the Swedish artisan distillery Hernö, Hernö Juniper Cask Gin secured a Gold medal in the Gin – Travel Retail Exclusive flight for its “very distinct” character. The “world’s first” gin to be aged in barrels made from juniper wood, the resulting liquid is said to have a “nice lemony sweetness and long finish” accompanied by “a great bitterness”.

Glenmorangie The Tarlogan

Price: approx £80

LVMH-owned single malt Scotch Glenmorangie secured a Gold medal for The Tarlogan in the Scotch Whisky – Travel Eclusive Single Malt flight. A no-age-statement whisky, The third release in Glenmorangie’s travel retail exclusive Legends Collection, following Duthac and Tayne; The Tarlogan is matured in virgin oak and ex-Bourbon casks, and was deemed “very harmonious” by the panel.

La Fée Parisienne Absinthe Supérieure

Price: approx £40

Despite the absinthe’s abv of 68%, judges uncovered “interesting layers” with a taste “like the inside of an aniseed ball”. La Fee Absinthe Parisienne is distilled with nine herbs and spices, all of which have roots in traditional absinthe production: Grand Wormwood, Petite Wormwood, Fennel, Green Anise, Star Anise, Hyssop, Coriander – and two ‘secret ingredients’. Described as “a very good benchmark” for the category, one judge said: “If this was enjoyed with ice water, it would be a really lovely, refreshing drink.”

Royal Brackla 21 Year Old

Price: approx £180

Judges noted a “beautiful smoke and biscuitiness” in the oldest of the three-strong Royal Brackla range, Royal Brackla 21 Year Old, and bestowed two Gold medals upon the expression – first in Scotch Whisky – Single Malt and then New Launch 2015/16. “It’s incredibly well-made from start to finish,” noted one judge – adding “nothing is off-kilter”.

CanadaOne

Price: approx £30

Judges were delighted by CanadaOne’s “whisky-esque” character and “provocative” flavours, and gave the expression a Gold medal in the Vodka flight. Created by Shelter Point Distillery, the liquid is named in honour the distiller’s cut—the purest 1% of a spirit, achieved at the “peak” of distillation. The expression is made from barley distilled in the same copper pot stills used to create the brand’s core whisky.

Scots Gold Blended Scotch Whisky 8 YO

Price: approx £25

Debut just two weeks ago by Diverse Flavours at the TFWA Exhibition & Conference in Cannes, Scots Gold Blended Scotch Whisky 8 Year Old was applauded by the panel for its “butteriness and smoothness” and “lovely mouthfeel”. The expression was personally selected by Charles Edge, the owner of London-based company supplier Ethimex, which  began a whisky ageing programme back in 2015 – destined for launch across the next 10 years.

Sash & Fritz – The German Vodka

Price: approx £

Gold medalist Sash & Fritz – The German Vodka was praised for its “snappy cleanness” and “luxurious texture”. Crafted from German wheat and clear spring water collected from the Ore Mountains the expression is distilled and filtered five times. The expression recently secured a Gold medal in The Vodka Masters 2016.

Purity Vodka 34

Price: approx £

Lauded for its “feather-light complexity” and “pretty aromas”, Purity 34 earned a Gold medal in the Vodka flight. The liquid is distilled 34 times, during which 90% of the liquid is lost. The remaining spirit is said to be so refined that no filtration is necessary, and is instead blended with a mix of deionised water, natural mineral water, and tailor-made column spirits made from wheat.

Hernö Old Tom Gin

Price: approx £36

The second offering to appear from Swedish distillers Hernö, this Old Tom Gin scored highly at the Travel Retail Masters. The expression is produced from the same eight botanicals as the brand’s Hernö Dry Gin – juniper, coriander, lemon, lingon berries, meadowsweet, black pepper, cassia and vanilla – but features more meadowsweet, with a “touch of honey” added after distillation to “lift the floral notes” and make the gin “even smoother”.