A luxury gin brand with links to the Isle of Man has won a prestigious international drinks industry award.

Tumbledown Gin, which is produced in the Falkland Islands, received a Silver Award after being shortlisted in The Gin Guide Awards’ Traditional Gin category for spirits with an ABV (alcohol by volume) above 42%.

The brand was selected as a finalist alongside gins from the UK, Europe, the United States and New Zealand before being judged through a blind tasting process by an expert panel.

The business behind the brand, Falkland Islands Spirits, also has connections to the Isle of Man. The spirit is bottled at a plant in Tromode and island resident John Hellowell is a director of the company, which runs its research and marketing operations from the Isle of Man.

John Hellowell commented: ‘The Gin Guide annual awards are widely regarded as our industry’s equivalent of The Oscars, so it’s a great honour for Tumbledown to be a finalist and to receive a Silver Award.

‘It’s a first for our brand, and a fantastic achievement for the business bearing in mind that we’re still a relative newcomer to the market and competing against more established brands.’

Tumbledown Gin is distilled in the Falkland Islands using fresh local water and native botanicals before being transported around 8,000 miles to the UK by the Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary. The gin is then sold to customers in the UK and the Isle of Man.

The Gin Guide is regarded as a global membership organisation within the spirits industry and provides reviews, industry news and awards.

The brand began with former soldier Taff Davies, who initially distilled gin on a small scale for the Falkland Islands community.

Its distinctive flavour quickly gained popularity among the islands’ population of around 3,000 people.