Australian Gin Awards 2020
Entry fees reduced for 2020.
In these difficult times a trophy or some medals can lift your sales. The third season of the Australian Gin Awards judging will take place in August with Bill Lark at the helm. We have reduced the gin entry fees by 20% and the Design Awards fees by 50% in recognition of these weird and tough times. The first entry fee is $140 and each subsequent entry reduces by $20. The Design Awards fee is $30 per entry.
Entries open Monday 6 April 2020.
Entries close Monday 29 June 2020.
Australian Gin Awards 2020
Entry fees reduced for 2020.
In these difficult times a trophy or some medals can lift your sales. The Australian Gin Awards judging will take place in early August with Bill Lark at the helm. We have reduced the gin entry fees by 20% and the Design Awards fees by 50% in recognition of these weird and tough times.
Entries open Monday 6 April 2020.
Entries close Monday 29 June 2020.
2020 Prizes
Six trophies and unlimited Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. $5000 cash prize for Best in Show Gin.
$5000 production prize for Best Gin Bottle.
These were the 2019 Trophy Winners.
The Australian Gin Distillers Association Inc. is offering a bench-marking opportunity open to Australian and New Zealand’s independent bottlers and small craft distillers.
Everyone’s a Winner
All Best in Class winners will feature at the Presentation Cocktail Party in Paddington Town Hall on Thursday 3 September 2020.
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
Chairman and Judge
Bill Lark
Founder & Brand Ambassador Lark Distillery
Judge
Genise Hollingworth
Rum distiller and co-owner at Black Gate Distillery.
Judge
Philip Moore
Master Distiller, Owner Distillery Botanica.
Judge
Lindsay Silcox
Owner Gin Lane. A distillers subscription service.
Judge
Glenn McPhee
Co-Founder, The Gin Boutique
Judge
Scott Fitzsimons
The Oak Barrel. Whisky and Spirits Specialist.
Judge
Mikey Enright
Director Barrelhouse Group, The Barber Shop York Street, The Duke of Clarence, The Barber Shop Barangaroo
Judge
Charles Casben
Owner/Manager Moya’s Juniper Lounge. Certified Sommelier of the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Award 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).
(Australian) – Often referred to as London Dry Gin) – 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 of 37% a/v. Classic Dry 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 traditional gin. Must be bottled at a minimum of 37% a/v. Contemporary Style Gin cannot be coloured or flavoured artificially.
(Barrel Aged Gin) –A distilled gin that has been matured in wooden barrels for any length of time. Judges will be looking at the influence of the wood and barrel characteristics in balance with traditional gin flavours. Must be bottled at a minimum of 37% a/v. Matured Gin cannot be coloured or flavoured artificially other than that obtained from the barrel itself.
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 licorice 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 of 37% a/v. 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% a/v as per the World Gin Awards however these awards recognise the opportunity for producers to showcase their gin at a strength above 50% a/v which best highlights a gin’s characteristics, typical of a higher strength.
A Distilled Gin that has been flavoured with fruit or other botanicals, typically via infusion or maceration and may be sweetened such as Sloe Gins or Gin Liqueurs. Must be bottled at a minimum of 20% a/v.
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 on the entry form 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.
SUNDOWN 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. Winners need to supply 6 x 700mL bottles for the function which will take place at the Paddington Town Hall on Thursday 4 September at 4.30pm. 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.
Australia’s Best Gin Bottle Design
2020
HOW SEXY IS YOUR BOTTLE?
Buy a still, make the gin and sell the product. Sounds easy but of course it’s not! Brand development is all important unless you want to drink all the gin you make yourself – of course not. So how will your brand stand out from others? Will it? Won’t it? How will it look lined up with other brands? Let the experts give you their opinion and maybe a medal or even a trophy. Make the most of the opportunity to add another medal to your bottle and by so doing expose your brand further to increase sales.
There will be a $5000.00 product prize to the Best Australian Gin Bottle winner.
Australia’s Best Gin Bottle Design 2020
HOW SEXY IS YOUR BOTTLE?
Buy a still, make the gin and sell the product. Sounds easy but of course it’s not! Brand development is all important unless you want to drink all the gin you make yourself – of course not. So how will your brand stand out from others? Will it? Won’t it? How will it look lined up with other brands? Let the experts give you their opinion and maybe a medal or even a trophy. Make the most of the opportunity to add another medal to your bottle and by so doing expose your brand further to increase sales.
There will be a $5000.00 product prize to the Best Australian Gin Bottle winner.
THE BOTTLE DESIGN JUDGING TEAM
Linda Sultmann General Manager Signwave Australia (Chairman) / Steve Morris CCL General Manager Wine & Spirits NSW / Jade Angelopulos Marketing Manager Schibello Coffee / Marty Widholm Professional designer and Kate Meyer committee member Australian Gin Distillers Association Inc.
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
During the Presentation Cocktail Party on September 3, the trophy for Australia’s Best Gin Bottle will be presented to the winner . 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.
Pictured: Previous Best Gin bottle design winner – BLOODY MERRY GIN, Wildspirit Distillery, Sydney, NSW.
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.
Carefully Note Closing Date
ON-LINE ENTRY FORMS may be submitted between Monday 6 April 2020 and Monday 29 June 2020. FINAL ACCEPTANCE DATE FOR SAMPLES into Sydney’s OZEWINE NO LATER THAN Friday July 17. The delivery label is on the Application Form page and you MUST use this label for all boxes please. We DO NOT send labels – please send the bottles as they are and the Stewards will label each bottle ready for judging. All gins are numbered by the Stewards and judged blind.
The Application Form includes entry for the Australian Gin Awards and the Bottle Design Awards.