Sam Heughan’s alcoholic drinks range has been declared among the best in the world at a global spirits contest.
The Outlander star celebrated with friends and colleagues on Sunday night after his luxury gin and whisky drinks won three golds and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The actor, who gained international fame for playing Jamie Fraser in the hit show Outlander, has won new fans in recent years for his Scottish-inspired drinks business, Sassenach Spirits.
Since launching in 2019, Sassenach Spirits has claimed countless awards in countries from the UK to Singapore.
Heughan’s win at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition will only boost his reputation as an alcohol connoisseur, as the contest is regarded as one of the oldest and most high-profile events in the spirits world.
The Scots Heartthrob won double gold for his Sassenach Blended Scotch and an additional gold for his Wild Scottish Gin.
In a video shared to Instagram, the star received a standing ovation from guests at the black-tie event as he collected his prestigious award.
Heughan’s winning spirits were inspired by the dramatic Scottish landscape, with the star claiming that he “us[ed] my heritage and passion as inspiration” for the collection.
The Wild Scottish Gin is distilled using locally foraged botanicals from the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland, where Heughan was born and raised. Its creators describe it as “a celebration of Scotland, our nature, our heritage, and our wonderful flavours”.
Meanwhile the Sassenach Blended Scotch is aged and blended in the Scottish Highlands. It is also named after the Scots word for an English person, ‘sassenach’, which is used throughout Outlander as a word for Heughan’s English love interest Claire.
The win will be a pinch-me moment for the actor, who previously told the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of his “lifelong dream of having [his] own dram”.
Heughan is currently visiting San Francisco to promote Sassenach Spirits by meeting fans and signing bottles of his award-winning whisky.
Announcing the tour earlier in October, he told his Instagram followers: “Come say hi. I can’t wait to see you all there,” before signing off with “Slàinte mhath” – Gaelic for “cheers”.