Spirit of Our Community Awards

Introduction

International Beverage (IB) aims to support local good causes, constituted groups and formal charities by launching the next round of the Spirit of our Community Awards (SPOC).   

Applications will only be accepted from not-for-profit organisations. Please refer to our SPOC Terms & Conditions and Award Guidance Notes for more details of who can apply.

Businesses, individuals and ‘for profit’ organisations are not eligible to apply.

Zone Criteria

All proposed projects should benefit communities within the zone postcodes applied for:

 Zone 1 Application – International Beverage HQ

Open to organisations registered/located within an ML5 or ML6 postcode area.

 Zone 2 Application

Open to organisations located or registered within a 35 mile radius of the following Distillery postcodes:

• Speyburn Distillery –Rothes, Aberlour, AB38 7AG
• Knockdhu Distillery –Knock, by Huntly, Aberdeenshire, AB54 7LJ
• Balmenach Distillery –Balmenach Rd, Cromdale, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26 3PF

 Zone 3 Application

Open to organisations located or registered within a 35 mile radius of the following Distillery postcodes:

•  Balblair Distillery – Edderton, Tain IV19 1LB
• Pulteney Distillery – Huddart St, Wick KW1 5BA

 Applications will only be accepted in one of the above zones.

 What we will do

Applications will be reviewed and assessed by the SPOC Award Committee who will then shortlist Projects/ideas within each of the three zones detailed above.

We will let you know within six weeks of the application deadline if your entry has been shortlisted. If you do not hear from us within six weeks of the application deadline then it is unlikely you have been shortlisted.

Members of the SPOC Award Committee may visit shortlisted entrants’ by mutual arrangement in order to meet you and get to know more about the great work you are doing in our communities. 

We will then rank the entries and the prizes will be as follows:

 Zone 1 Application 

• 1^st place will be awarded £10,000;
•   2^nd and 3^rd places will be awarded £1,000 each. 

Zone 2 Application

• 1^st place will be awarded £5,000;

 Zone 3 Application

•  1^st place will be awarded £5,000;

 Runners Up in Zones 2 and 3

 Within Zone 2 and Zone 3 there will be five overall runner up awards of £600 each.   The split of runner up awards across these zones are entirely at the discretion of the SPOC Award Committee.

We will aim to let you know the outcome of your shortlisted application as soon as all scoring is complete.   Our aim is to provide funding to successful organisations who are placed 1^st in each Zone and all runner ups by the end of January 2026.   

 How to apply

Submit an application form by the deadline of 23.59 hrs on Friday 28 November 2025.

We have prepared SPOC Award Guidance Notes to assist you in completing this application form, please read them carefully.

It will be difficult to choose between so many good projects and causes but you can be assured we will use our best judgement based on the information you provide in your application. Therefore, please take time to complete this application with the best and most relevant information you can.

 All entries will be subject to the SPOC Awards Terms and Conditions.