July 31, 2018 Patsakis Distillers SA wins Silver medal

Patsakis Distillers SA wins Silver medal for Haraki Cretan Tsikoudia in the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2018

Patsakis distillers SA are delighted to announce that they have won Silver medal in the International Wine and

Spirit Competition (IWSC)2018 for Grape Brandy with tsikoudia “HARAKI”.

Founded in 1969, the IWSC is considered to be the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world.

The awards given by the Competition are believed to be among some of the highest honours in the industry. Judging for the Competition is unique having two stages; first, the products are tasted blindly by expert panels, selected from over 400 fully experienced and qualified industry judges. Products which receive the top medals are then subject to technical analysis before results are released; this crucial stage ensures winners receive complete validation.

Patsakis Distillers SA is the distillery in Crete, which functions since 1990 when Mr Patsakis Michail decided in investing upon this traditional product at the territory that he was born in Prinias Malevision, at the base of Psiloritis Mountain. He was the first who legally bottled tsikoudia giving it the name “HARAKI” which in the Cretan dialect means “rock”. The name and the logo, which is a hawk, is inspired from the cretan hawks who make their nests upon the sloppy rocks of the highest mountain in Crete: «Psiloritis», and they can be seen from the distillery at almost every time of the year.

The production is taking place in Prinias Malevision where grape varieties with special taste and aroma are cultivated. The territory is producing VQPRD wines from local varieties. Winemaking is there since the Minoan years and there still exist Minoan winepresses chiselled upon the rocks, around the area

The grape mash is being fermented in stainless steel tanks under steady temperature. The distilling process takes place under controlled conditions of pressure and temperature due to the modern alembic and the distilling experience of 25years. The result is a unique distillate which combines the soft aromas of vanilla and rose with the traditional strong taste of Cretan tsikoudia

The silver medal in the competition with the status of IWSC is a vindication for the years of hard work of the company, and Mr Patsakis personally, to showcase the quality of cretan tsikoudia.