Great Taste, the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, has announced its stars of 2020.
Out of 12,777 products sent in from 106 different countries, Alitasa Electrolytes Water was awarded a 1-star Great Taste award, which means judges dubbed it a food that delivers fantastic flavour. Alitasa is the only water in the UK awarded a Great Taste Award 2020 based purely on the taste!
"Surprisingly full-bodied, with an elegant mouthfeel together with a real softness and viscosity on the mid-palate, culminating in a delicate slightly sweet mineral finish.
Very neutral overall, fresh and bright, naturally food-friendly and entirely pleasant."
- Great Taste Awards
Judged by 144 of the most discerning palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, buyers, retailers and producers, as well as food writers and journalists, Great Taste is the most coveted of all food and drink awards. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to an outstanding product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind tasting.
This year’s winners have been found through a combination of remote judging and socially distanced judging sessions, after the lockdown began just one week into the schedule. This necessitated a swift and comprehensive reinvention of the Great Taste process to ensure that robust judging standards were maintained and the quality of feedback was not compromised, all in time to provide a much-needed boost for food and drink producers during the all-important Christmas period.
Alitasa, explains: "Alitasa is not only rich in minerals, comes from spa town in in the very centre of Europe, Palanga, but due to its super low TDS it is crisp, refreshing and is a great palate cleanser for those with most exquisite taste. We have entered the Great Taste awards for the first time, and we are happy to know that our values have been recognised by best food critics in the country and Alitasa Electrolytes waters became the only water to be awarded a Great Taste award 2020!"
Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is cake, coffee, kippers or kombucha being judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.
There were 12,777 entries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 205 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,294 received a 2-star and 3,818 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy recipients and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.