Now Open – 2021 Entries
Never Never, Ester, Imperial Measures, The West Winds and Settlers now join the other bench-mark gins produced in Australia by Australian distillers. This important Awards event was created to highlight the spirit Gin over and above any other.
Your gin, when entered, will be judged by a team of ten highly qualified spirits professionals and you will receive written feed-back on how you fared during the judging.
We urge you to study the Category descriptions and enter your gin where it correctly belongs. The judges will shift your entry into the correct category if they see it wrongly entered and therefore give it a better chance of scoring well.
Trophies for Best in Show, Best in Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded where appropriate.
Entries close 13 August 2021
Results announced 19 November 2021.
Everyone’s a Winner
- All Best in Class winners will feature at the Trophy Presentation Cocktail Party at the Sydney Town Hall on 20 November 2021.
All Best in Class winners receive a trophy, display certificate plus media attention and comprehensive Social Media coverage.
All Gins entered into the judging will receive written reports from the judges.
- All medal winners receive beautiful display certificates useful for promotion.
Message from the The Chairman
The Judges
Judge
Tim Stones
Distiller, Hickson House Distilling Co.
Judge
Genise Hollingworth
Distiller, Black Gate Distillery
Judge
Philip Moore
Distiller, Distillery Botanica.
Judge
Mikey Enright
Bartender, The Barber Shop
Judge
Lindsay Silcox
Retailer, Down Gin Lane
Judge
Glenn McPhee
Retailer, The Gin Boutique
Judge
Scott Fitzsimons
Retailer, The Oak Barrel
Judge
Andrew Howell
Retailer, The Gin Boutique
Judge
Charles Casben
Bartender, Moya’s Juniper Lounge
Chief Steward: Christopher Rose
Seven Categories
All Gins must be produced in Australia or New Zealand by producers holding an Excise Manufacturers Licence and must comply with the laws as set by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Code (FSANZ).
Should be produced using a clean base spirit with a neutral taste which allows the distilled flavours of the botanicals to come through. The gin should be juniper forward where all the botanicals are distilled either soaked in the neutral spirit inside the still or placed in a basket within the still or along the Lyne arm. The botanicals may be distilled individually or together in a single batch. Must be bottled at a minimum Alcohol of 37% and a maximum Alcohol of 50%. This gin cannot be coloured or flavoured artificially.
(New age or new wave gins) – Juniper should still be discernible but flavours from other botanicals such as citrus, spice and floral notes are more prominent than in a London Dry Gin. Must be bottled at a minimum Alcohol of 37% and a maximum Alcohol of 50%. Contemporary Style Gin cannot be coloured or flavoured artificially.
A distilled gin product to replicate the historical style of “Old Tom” either botanically intense or botanically sweetened. Nowadays Old Tom is a very good gin quite often sweetened by the distillation of larger than normal amounts of liquorice or the like but not added after distillation. Old Tom can also be sweetened with sugar and may be influenced by wood maturation. It is generally considered richer in flavour than London Dry Gin. Must be bottled at a minimum Alcohol of 37%. Old Tom cannot be coloured or flavoured artificially.
A Distilled Gin bottled at a minimum of 50% a/v. Traditionally “Navy Gin” is bottled between 57% and 58% Alcohol. These awards recognise the opportunity for producers to showcase their gin at a strength above 50% Alcohol which best highlights a gin’s characteristics, typical of a higher strength.
These products are generally influenced by traditional Sloe Gins whereby a dry gin is macerated with fruit and then lightly sweetened. This category may include Sloe Gins and Sloe-Style Gins as well as similar alternatives. Minimum Alcohol of 37%.
These are products that intentionally focus on a flavour other than juniper. Whether achieved through distillation, maceration or some other means, gins in this category may not fit the conventional definitions or perceptions of ‘gin’. Can be coloured and/or sweetened. Minimum Alcohol of 20%. Juniper should still be aromatically present to warrant inclusion.
The Judging Process
Two x 700mL gin sample bottles per entry are required for the judging or a minimum of 1400mL if you are entering smaller bottles. Please use the address labels provided below on this page. The judging will take place in a secret location in Concord NSW during the first few days of August 2020. There will be three panels of judges. All gin products will be judged blind and served neat. The mechanics of the judging will be managed by Glass Brassiere Sommelier Chris Rose who is one of the most experienced wine show stewards in Australia. His assistants are all trained sommeliers. The top gin in each category will be rejudged in the final Best in Show judging where all judges will participate. In the event of any category achieving gold medal status, the top gold in that category will win a trophy. Every gin entered has the possibility of winning a medal – gold, silver or bronze. If a gold medal is not awarded in a category, the top scoring gin in that category will be titled Best in Class. The top scoring gin in the whole competition will win the Best in Show Trophy. The Design judging will take place the previous day.
Confidential written reports prepared by the judging team leaders will be provided for ALL entries (including the bottle design judging) following the release of the results. They will be sent as hard copies along with certificates.
COCKTAIL PARTY TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU
All Trophy and Best in Class winners will be notified immediately following the judging and asked to make arrangements to attend the Trophy Presentation Cocktail Party in Sydney on 20 November 2021. Winners need to supply 6 x 700mL bottles for the function which will take place in the Sydney Town Hall on Friday 20 November at 4.00pm. There will be no charge for this event. Chairman Bill Lark will make the presentations and comment on the winning gins. At 5.30pm same day the Sydney Gin Palooza will open to the public and the celebrations will continue.
THE BOTTLE DESIGN JUDGING TEAM
The Chairman of Judges:
Steve Morris CCL General Manager
The Judges:
Kate Moser – Marketing Manager – CCL, Wine and Spirits Australia
Dan Parritt – Brand Director, Molasses Brand Design Consultancy
Kent Stewart – Creative Director, Molasses Brand Design Consultancy
Jade Angelopoulous – Marketing Manager, Schibello Coffee Australia
Kate Meyer – Executive Director, Australian Gin Distillers Association Inc.
Lindsay Silcox – Director, Down Gin Lane, online retail
DESIGN JUDGING CRITERIA
Visual appeal: Originality / Design quality / Colour scheme / Neck Label / Capsule packaging if applicable
Brand: Logo / Fonts / Label copy / Label stock / Brand story and consistency
Practicality: Bottle design and quality / Closure / Pouring / Bar placement
EXPOSURE FOR YOUR BOTTLES
The winners will be advised following the judging and invited to attend the Presentation Cocktail Party on November 20 at the Sydney Town Hall, during the opening of the Sydney Gin Palooza.
Gold, silver and bronze medals will have been awarded during the design judging. Certificates will be produced and mailed out for all medal winners with a copy of the judges’ comments.
How do I leverage my success?
All medal winners will be offered jpeg and pdf versions of the medal artwork at no cost. You are encouraged to use these on your website and in your social marketing to promote your win. Plus, we have medal stickers for your bottles available to purchase. All results will be issued in our media releases which you can also utilise. You can create your own releases to your personal database to spread the word. All medal winners will receive certificates suitable to frame and display in the distillery cellar door.
“Our aim is to shine a light on the excellence of gin production and for the awards judges to concentrate on one spirit – GIN.”
Ms Judith Kennedy AM
Chief Executive and Chairman.
2021 Application Form