2022 World Gin Awards (Round 1 Country Winners) ~ The Gin Queen

The World Gin Awards released the results of the World Gin Awards Round 1 Country Winners yesterday. Panels of judges from all over the world (including yours truly) have been evaluating and scoring gins over several months now.

All country winners are put forward for the finals, when the winner of World’s Best…will be crowned. The results are due next month.

Here are the country winners from Australia. Next to each category I have included the description of each classification. These are used by distillers to determine where they want to enter their gin.

In addition to the country winners, Australia achieved 8 Gold medals, 45 Silver and and 28 Bronze medals. This is a fantastic achievement given the volume of entries, and in case you were thinking “everyone gets a medal”, they really don’t!

Congratulations to all! I’m also really excited to see some fairly new distilleries performing so well!

Classic Gin

(Classic Gin should have a clean base spirit with a neutral flavour that allows the distilled flavours of the botanicals to come through. The gin is juniper-forward and other common botanicals include angelica root, coriander seed, orris root, and citrus peel. It must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Ginworth Future Vintage Gin

Gold

Manly Spirits Australian Dry Gin

Silver

Cuprum Distillery West Coast Signature Dry Gin

Silver Forty Spotted Classic

Bronze

Ester Dry Gin

Imperial Measures Distilling Ounce Gin ‘Bold’

Compound Gin

(A gin where the principal gin botanical flavours, including juniper, are imparted through maceration and not through distillation. It must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Native Australia Lilly Pilly Gin

Silver

Prohibition Liquor Co Bathtub Cut Gin

Contemporary Style Gin

(Gins with flavour profiles where juniper is still discernible, but other flavours such as citrus, spice, and floral notes are more prominent than in a Classic Gin. Contemporary Gin is a catch-all term for gins described as “New-Wave”, “New Western”, “New American Dry”, etc.. It must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Beachtree Distilling Co. Organic Quokka Gin

Gold

Beachtree Distilling Co. Organic Koala Gin

Dasher + Fisher Ocean Gin

Giniversity Gin Barrel Aged

Silver

78 Degrees Classic Gin

Devils Thumb Distillery Rainforest Gin

Distil on the Hill Gin

Ester Dry Gin

Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin

Four Pillars Spiced Negroni Gin

Hellfire Bluff Piquant Gin

Lawrenny Van Diemen’s Gin

Little Juniper Gin Signature

Native Australia Lemon Myrtle & Saltbush Gin

Native Spirits Melbourne Classic Gin by Patient Wolf

Native Spirits Sydney Dry Gin by Archie Rose

Prohibition Liquor Co Original Gin

Seabourne Coastal Dry Gin Australia

Wolf Lane Distillery Tropical Gin

Bronze

78 Degrees Desert Gin

78 Degrees Sunset Gin

AmberChes Spirits Botanical Gin

Barossa Distilling Company

Garden Gin

Barossa Distilling Company Generations Gin

Bronze Bass & Flinders Distillery Orient

Critters Distillery Gin

Cuprum Distillery Barrel Aged Truffle Gin

Dasher + Fisher Meadow Gin

Earp Distilling Co. Just Juniper

Earp Distilling Co. No. 8 Dry Gin

Eventide Hills Distillery Reflection Gin

Hellfire Bluff Summer Gin

Karu Distillery Affinity Gin

Native Spirits Adelaide Classic Gin by 23rd Street Australia

Never Never Distilling Co. Dark Series: Med Gin

Pure Origin Tasmanian Dry Gin Australia

The Farmer’s Wife Autumn Dry Gin

Flavoured Gin

(Gin that has been flavoured with fruit or another botanicals, typically via infusion or maceration, and may be sweetened. It must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV. This category includes flavoured versions of gins from other categories, e.g. Navy or Old Tom.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Never Never Distilling Co. Ginache

Gold

Forty Spotted Wild Rose

Silver

Barossa Distilling Company Barossa Shiraz Gin 2021

Bass & Flinders Distillery Heartbreak Pinot Noir Gin

Dasher + Fisher Saffron Gin

Forty Spotted Tassie Bush Honey

Adams Distillery Blueberry & Lavender Gin

Four Pillars Single Vineyard Yarra Yering Bloody Shiraz

Pure Origin Tasmanian Bramble Gin

The West Winds Gin Wild Plum Gin

Wolf Lane Distillery Davidson Plum Gin

London Dry Gin

(Juniper-forward, traditional-style gins made using the London Gin production technique: all flavours must be imparted via distillation, with only water and neutral spirit to be added after distillation. The gin must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Never Never Distilling Co. Triple Juniper Gin Export Strength

Gold

Lawrenny 1818 Settlers Gin

Silver

Archie Rose Distilling Co. Signature Dry Gin

Bright Night Wild Tasmanian Gin

Never Never Distilling Co. Triple Juniper Gin

Bronze

Devils Thumb Distillery Signature Dry Gin

Gingin Gin

Old Kempton Distillery Embezzler Gin

Tara Distillery Pot Still Gin

Matured Gin

(Gin that has been matured in or with wood, including the use of: barrels, chips, or staves. Must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Heartwood Absolution of Gin

Gold

Broken Hill Distillery Gunpowder Gin

Silver

Giniversity x Limeburners Whisky Cask Gin

My Gin Barrel Aged Edition No. 2

Prohibition Liquor Co Shiraz Barrel Gin

Barossa Distilling Company Barrel Aged Gin

Four Pillars Single Barrel – S30

Navy Gin

(Any gin bottled with a minimum ABV of 57%. Can include overproof)

COUNTRY WINNER

Devils Thumb Distillery Navy Strength Gin

Silver

Australian Distilling Co. Navy Gin

Broken Hill Distillery Gunpowder Gin

Never Never Distilling Co. Juniper Freak Gin

Bronze

Ester Strong Gin

Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin

Prohibition Liquor Co Navy Strength

Old Tom Gin

(Gin produced to replicate the historical style of Old Tom, whether that be botanically intense, sugar-sweetened, or botanically sweetened. Must be bottled at a minimum of 37.5% ABV.)

COUNTRY WINNER

Four Pillars Experimental Old Tom Gin

**** POTENTIAL NEW GIN ALERT, NO IMAGES AVAILABLE***

Gold

Sunset Gin Golden Tommy

Silver

Old Kempton Distillery Six Shillings Gin

Signature Botanical

(Distilled gins that focus on a particular botanical or flavour and prominently state this on their label. Flavoured exclusively through distillation, these spirits still have juniper as a key focus, but have an additional focus on the signature component.)