The Australian Gin Awards were held in August and the results were announced just last week, with some fantastic results for the kiwi distillers that entered their gins. Our very own George Grbich was one of the ten judges invited to participate and the only international on the team.
He didn't just go over once for the judging though, as he was invited to go back for ceremony to present the contemporary trophy as well, which hinted at something being afoot. That a kiwi had won big and they wanted the one kiwi judge to be there too.
As it turned out, it wasn't just one of the Best in Class awards that had been won but the top ticket to boot, Best in Show. The honours went to none other than Bluff London Dry Gin which launched earlier this year and was featured in our July subscription box.
Bluff London Dry Gin
The judges had this to say about the Best in Show winner:
"A classic style gin achieving a standard of excellence. Beautifully balanced with top class integration of botanicals into the classic framework. An exceptional gin."
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Distilled 19,000km away from London, Bluff Gin is nevertheless an expression of a classic London Dry. One sip and you’ll feel as if you’re there at the very bottom of the world looking out over Foveaux Strait. The bottle pays homage to the glass buoys that locals would cut off illegal whaling nets set across the protected Southern Seas to sink them. Bluffys, as the locals are known, would then proudly display them on their masts, front doors, and at their local pub, The Age. Our serving suggestion is to enjoy it paired with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water and a slice of lime. It also makes for a fantastic dry martini. Shop Now |
Bluff Distillery weren't the only winners of course, with many other great New Zealand distilleries taking home medals across a variety of classes.
NZ Medal Winners
| COMPANY | PRODUCT | CLASS | MEDAL | STATE WINNER |
| Bluff Distillery | Bluff Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Trophy | NZ |
| Rotorua Geothermal Distilling | Pink & White Geothermal Gin - White Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Gold | |
| Elemental Distillers | Roots Marlborough Dry Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Silver | |
| The Cambridge Distillery Co. | Knocknaveagh 1862 Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Silver | |
| The Cambridge Distillery Co. | Knocknaveagh London Dry Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Silver | |
| Drift Bay Distilling Co. | Drift The Remarkable Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Bronze | |
| Forth Luck | NZ Dry Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Bronze | |
| Forth Luck | Premium Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Bronze | |
| Greytown Distilling Company | Settler Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Bronze | |
| The National Distillery Company | Verdigris Dry Gin | Classic Dry Gin | Bronze | |
| Begin Distilling Limited | Juno Extra Fine Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Gold | NZ |
| Dr Beak | NZ Garden Gin “Yuzu” | Contemporary Style Gin | Gold | |
| Tui Street Gin | Original Tui Street Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Gold | |
| Arrowtown Distillery | Rifters Blue Gold Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Silver | |
| Drift Bay Distilling Co. | Drift Winter Spices | Contemporary Style Gin | Silver | |
| Sea Lovers Gin | Sea Lovers Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Silver | |
| Greytown Distilling Company | Frostbite | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| Greytown Distilling Company | Tweed | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| Rotorua Geothermal Distilling | Pink & White - Geothermal Gin - Pink | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The Cambridge Distillery Co. | Knocknaveagh Cambridge Dry | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The National Distillery Company | NZ Native Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The National Distillery Company | Hemp Gin | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The Vicar’s Son Gin | Ascension | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The Vicar’s Son Gin | The Good Place | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| The Vicar’s Son Gin | Holy Spirit | Contemporary Style Gin | Bronze | |
| Coromandel Distilling Co. | Awildian Coromandel Mānuka Gin | Old Tom Gin | Bronze | NZ |
| Arrowtown Distillery | Rifters Royal Navy | Over-Proof Gin | Silver | |
| Elemental Distillers | Roots ‘Norwester’ Navy Strength Gin | Over-Proof Gin | Silver | NZ |
| The National Distillery Company | NZ Navy Strength Gin | Over-Proof Gin | Bronze | |
| The Vicar’s Son Gin | Holy Spirit Navy Strength | Over-Proof Gin | Bronze | |
| Elemental Distillers | Roots ‘Rosso’ Pinot Noir Gin | Flavoured Gin | Silver | NZ |
Check out the full results here.