Australian gin has gathered admiration from around the world in recent years. Despite being a relative newcomer to the gin world, Australia is making a name for itself with some exceptional bottles. Since the early 1990s, when whisky maker Bill Lark helped overturn prohibition laws, setting up the first distillery in Tasmania in 150 years, distilleries have been cropping up all over the country and turning their hand to gin. The great variety of the country’s flora is reflected in these new-wave gins, which use both classic and indigenous botanicals to help shape this fresh, new identity for Australian gin.
Producers standing out from the rapidly saturated crowd are championing native botanicals – from finger lime to lemon myrtle – in their ginmaking. One such Australian gin producer is North of Eden. This New South Wales maker uses kurrajong seeds grown on the distillery’s farm to create its Connoisseur Gin, a Gold medal winner at the IWSC 2023.
There was an impressive selection of Australian gins at this year’s IWSC, with Four Pillars Distillery’s Single Barrel S36 Gin standing out for ‘flavours of rich fruit cake, cinnamon, smooth caramel, succulent liquorice, vintage leather and a gentle caress of warm vanilla spice,’ characteristics that helped earn it 98 points from the judges. Another 98 points went to the Australian gin Kangaroo Island O Gin, which was praised for its ‘fragrant neroli and jasmine perfume.’
Moving in a zestier direction, Yuzu Gin from Settlers Spirits in McLaren Vale also received a Gold medal and 97 points from judges, as well as praise for its ‘wonderfully exotic’ nose.
The Australian gins in this list were all tasted blind by a panel of industry experts, including co-founder of Maverick Drinks Michael Vachon, broadcaster and member of the Three Drinkers Aidy Smith and Waitrose wine buyer Anne Jones. Keep reading below for award-winning Australian gin recommendations from this year’s IWSC and tasting notes from the experts.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE SPIRITS?
We run a tightly structured, rigorous spirits tasting process. That means that each spirit sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC spirit judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the drinks industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
HOW DO WE SCORE THESE SPIRITS?
Only the best spirits sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, spirits have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
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16 top Australian gins from the IWSC 2023
