Cisk Lager, brewed and bottled by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc since 1928, added another accolade to its collection of awards recognitions. The Maltese lager achieved a prestigious second placing in the International Lager Competition category, Class 1, of THE BREWING INDUSTRY INTERNATIONAL AWARDS 2005, which had 752 entries from 43 countries competing for various awards. These awards are now popularly known as the "oscars of the brewing industry", and formerly, The Burton Competition.

Held in high esteem by the brewing industry worldwide due to their comprehensive, global nature and their longevity, The Brewing Industry International Awards 2005 this year attracted entries from 43 countries. For the first time in its 119-year history, the judging session was held at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Previous winners in these awards include many an international brand of beer.

Ray Grech, Chief Marketing Officer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, said: "This award is another significant achievement for Cisk Lager. We are proud that the international brewers and expert tasters who judged this edition of The Brewing Industry International Awards have recognised the high quality and merits of Cisk Lager. It is another great vote of confidence for our unrelenting drive to deliver an excellent beer to our Maltese and foreign consumers."

The Awards are renowned for their prestige and they are technically unrivalled since the beer is judged by a panel of 31 international brewers with proven commercial background and expertise in beer tasting. These include Head Brewers, Production Directors or Quality Managers brewing in every corner of the world. Full anonymity of the beers is preserved during judgment to accredit each beer’s relevance in its category and its class to the commercial wealth of the beer quality.

"We take great pride in the quality of Cisk Lager. With a recipe that has remained unchanged since its origin in 1928, Cisk is brewed to the highest brewing standards, using the choicest raw materials, and this unwavering commitment has once more borne its fruit," said Mr Eugenio Caruana, Chief Brewer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.

The award will be presented to Simonds Farsons Cisk plc during a ceremony at The Guildhall, City of London next April.

Cisk Lager has won other awards in the past. Among the most significant, Cisk Lager won the UK’s Brewex Competition in 1980 when it was awarded gold medals in both the 'Lager' and the 'Best Overall' categories. In 1995, Cisk Lager received the top prize in the Australian International Beer Awards, while its sister brand Cisk Export won the Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup in Ohio, USA in 2002.