A NORTH Yorkshire distiller has won a global award for a range of gin and whisky products.

Harrogate Tipple scooped was named Best Newcomer in the Licensing International Excellence Awards 2020 for its Downton Abbey range.

The winners were unveiled at a ceremony which is usually held in Las Vegas but which this year took place virtually in front of almost 1,000 licensing and retail executives from around the world.

Hundreds of entries were received and narrowed down to a field of 175 nominees and eventually to just 23 winners, including Harrogate Tipple, the distiller of Harrogate Gin and Rum along with the Downton Abbey gin and whisky range.

The Licensing International Excellence Awards, which have been running for 35 years, highlight the achievements and accomplishments of the global brand licensing industry.

The Best Newcomer award recognises ‘a company, property, product, service, platform or experience new to the licensing business, which has demonstrated success in its first year and shows promise for future growth’.

Harrogate Tipple, the independent craft distillery that is part owned by master distiller Tom Nichol, was set up in 2016 by husband and wife, Steven and Sally Green, who launched the Downton Abbey range last year.

Housed in a converted barn close to the Ripley Castle Estate near Harrogate, it has an ethos of local provenance with many of its botanicals grown in the estate’s kitchen gardens and Victorian hothouse as well as using the spa town’s famous spring water.

“These awards have become like the Oscars of the licensing world, so it’s a huge honour to have our Downton Abbey drinks range recognised by them,” said Steve.

“We received news that we were finalists earlier this year, alongside some huge and well-known nominees, so being shortlisted was a privilege in itself.

"Although we were gutted to miss out on the usual glamorous Las Vegas awards ceremony, we were thrilled to still be a part of the awards from the comfort of our Ripley distillery!”

Sally added: “Our Downton Abbey drinks are a relatively new addition to our Harrogate Tipple family, but after all of the care, love and research we have devoted to every aspect of our Downton Abbey collection, it’s extremely rewarding to have achieved international recognition for the team’s hard work.”