The 2024 Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards (ASDA) celebrated Australia's best spirits and distilleries last week on 1 August, taking place at the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds.
Celebrating its 10th year, the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards is Australia’s first and largest national spirits competition highlighting the excellence of Australian-manufactured spirits, liqueurs, aromatics, vermouths and ready-to-serves.
This year the awards attracted 854 entries from 221 exhibitors and awarded 83 Gold, 359 Silver and 291 Bronze medals, distributed by 50 expert judges.
Melbourne Royal executive general manager – agriculture, Darren Keating, said this year was a fantastic success, with distillers from all over the nation showcasing their passion and precision for crafting some of Australia’s best spirits.
“We are grateful for the extraordinary support from the spirits industry and thank all distillers, judges, stewards, sponsors, and event staff for ensuring this prestigious event remains at the highest level,” said Keating.
“Winning a trophy or medal at the coveted Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards opens many commercial doors and inspires consumer trends, and I extend my congratulations to all winners of medals and trophies.”
South Australia’s St Agnes Distillery, the country’s oldest family-owned distillery, took out the top award of Champion Australian Distiller, as well as Best Brandy.
Richard Angove, the fifth generation of his family to helm St Agnes, said it was a testament to the skill and dedication of the team that St Agnes continues to produce award-winning spirits year after year.
“We are immensely proud to receive these awards. For 99 years, we’ve strived to create spirits that honour our heritage while also challenging traditions,” said Angove.
“It is a testament to the patience, perseverance and craft of our entire team, including current head distiller, Ben Horley and his late predecessor John Norman, that these efforts continue to be recognised by the industry.
"Many hands have carefully crafted these amazing spirits that sit comfortably as exceptional on a world stage,” he said.
Yackandandah’s Backwoods Distilling Co received the title of Champion Victorian Distiller presented by Vic Grown, whilst Champion Victorian Gin, presented by Agriculture Victoria, was awarded to Macedon’s Travelling While Standing Still for their Australian Dry Gin, which also took out the trophy for Best London Dry Gin, presented by StrangeLove.
Source: Melbourne Royal
Queensland distiller, Nil Desperandum Rum, took out the Best Rum trophy for its limited-edition Double Ton, as well as taking home two Gold, seven Silver, and three Bronze medals.
Nil Desperandum founder and CEO, Matt Hobson, said that the company was delighted to have taken out the win and looks forward to bringing the trophy home to Woombye, Queensland.
“This latest achievement cements our reputation as Australia's Finest Rum, giving rum lovers further proof we are the country’s most awarded rum brand and we couldn’t be prouder of our Head Distiller Adam Chapman and team,” said Hobson.
The Awards’ newest category, Ready to Serve Cocktail or Pre-Mix welcomed over 50 entries, with the trophy awarded to Victoria’s Reed & Co Distillery for their Yuzu Chu-Hai.
Isla Vodka received three awards, including a Gold Medal in the Pure Vodka category for the Isla Vodka 700mL, and Bronze and Silver accolades for the Ready to Serve Pre-Mix – for the Isla Vodka + Blood Orange & Passionfruit and Isla Vodka + Watermelon & Berry.
Isla Vodka director, Andrew Walsh, said it was a testament to the company’s hardworking team, quality of product and commitment to excellence.
“Winning the Gold Medal at the 2024 Royal Melbourne Australian Distilled Spirits Awards is a monumental achievement for ISLA Vodka," said Walsh.
“We are incredibly proud to lead the charge in Australian vodka, and this recognition validates our dedication to crafting a superior spirit. We look forward to continuing to innovate and set new standards in the industry.”
Amber Lane Distillery took out a record number of medals in a single competition for the company, receiving a Gold Medal for its soon-to-be-released Alchemical Series (Water) whisky, and eight Silver medals for Alchemical Series (Earth, Wind and Fire), Pineau 350, Apera 100 and the yet-to-be-released Solstice and Apera 086.
Amber Lane Distillery co-owner, Rod Berry, said the latest awards continued a stellar year for industry recognition for the Central Coast distillery.
“2024 has been a remarkable year for Amber Lane, with recognition on both the national and international stages,” said Berry.
“It’s always wonderful to be recognised by our peers, particularly in Australia, where the calibre of whisky producers is so high.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past two years. These results are the most medals we’ve ever won at a single competition and takes our national and international tally to 11 gold medals in the last two years. This latest medal haul highlights the consistency of our product - it just shows we’re definitely doing something right,” he said.
