This winners of the 2024 Australian Gin Awards were announced on 5 September at a ceremony held at Ester Spirits in Sydney, with New Zealand’s Bluff Distillery taking home both Best in Class for Classic Dry and Best in Show.
New Zealand gins made up 15 per cent of the entries to the awards, and co-founder and Distiller of Bluff Distillery, Chris Fraser, was pleased to bring the spirit of Bluff to the international stage, especially only five months since the distillery entered the market.
“It’s great validation for us as a team. Just as everything else in Bluff, the gin is what it says on the tin. We wanted to make a gin that respected the classic London Dry recipes created hundreds of years ago.
“There’s been exponential growth in gin brands in the past few years with all sorts of non-traditional botanicals and infusions. A bit like Bluff, we decided to stay authentic to the heritage of gin so it’s great to see our strategy, to stay true to who we are, has been recognised by the judges,” he said.
Judges described Bluff London Dry Gin as: “A classic style gin achieving a standard of excellence. Beautifully balanced with top class integration of botanicals into the classic framework. An exceptional gin.”
West Australian Juniper Society by Old Young’s Chilli and Rose gin was awarded Best in Class for Contemporary Gin, and founder James Young accepted the award.
“West Australian Juniper Society started Old Young’s and we said we’re going to make a brand new gin every month, forever. That gets a bit difficult after the first six months, but it’s where we have a bit of fun. That’s where we get to experiment. This gin was a synergy between the restaurant that we have, taking those ideas of rose and chilli and putting them together in a gin,” he said.
Cauldron Distillery’s Christmas Gin (Barrel Aged) was named Best in Class for Matured Gin, with judges describing it as having an exceptional balance of botanicals and oak. Kilderkin Distillery’s Larrikin’s Gin Old Tom took home Best in Class for Old Tom Gin, Wildflower Gin Distillery’s Navy Strength Gin won Best in Class for Overproof Gin.
Wildflower Gin Founder, James Grieg, congratulated the brand’s newest distiller who created the award-winning gin.
“I think one of the exciting things about being in this part of distilling in Australia is what the next generation looks like. For me, what’s most exciting is actually talking about Ed tonight, because Ed started as a bartender in our distillery not too long ago, and this gin was something he’d been working on for quite a while. I’m so proud of him, because he’s made something really, truly amazing. This is the first gin that he’s ever made, and here we are celebrating something that is really, truly original and absolutely fantastic,” he said.
In the Traditional Gin Liqueurs category, which are inspired by sloe gins, Imperial Measures Distilling won Best in Class for its Ounce Gin ‘Shiraz’, which was commended for very elegantly balanced berry elements with an alluring nose and long finish. The diverse Flavoured Gin category was won by Little Stiller Distillery’s Pink Gin.
Australian Gin Awards Ambassador, Charles Casben, said that Flavoured Gin is an important means of category recruitment.
“Flavoured gin as a category is so broad and allows so much innovation, that in many ways, this is where the industry is going. It’s what’s allowing expression, and it’s what’s allowing consumers to find something new. Particularly when we go to gin events and we speak to drinkers, this is what’s new,” he said.
Awards Chairman Mikey Enright said that there was a marked improvement across the categories in this year’s awards.
“We were very pleased to see an improvement in quality of production in most classes in particular Class Two Contemporary Style Gin where 11 Gold medals were awarded,” he said.
Finally, the Packaging Award went to Harrington Bjugard Distilling’s Dry Gin, commended for its classic smoked glass bottle and understated mid-century modern design.
A full list of awards winners can be found on the Australian Gin Awards website.
