Australian Gin Awards Results 2021
The results will be posted on this website after 10am on 30 September as planned.
All medals plus Best in Class will be announced. The Presentation event and the announcement of Best in Show will take place on 8 November at Moya’s Juniper Lounge in Sydney and on Facebook live so please watch the event. Certificates celebrating the medals will be mailed in October. There will be a form for the purchase of bottle stickers posted in association with the results. Purchase the medals and show that you belong.
Australian Gin Awards Results 2021
The results will be posted on this website on 30 September shortly after 10am as planned. All medals plus 7 x Best in Class will be announced. The Presentation event and the announcement of Best in Show will take place on 8 November at Moya’s Juniper Lounge in Sydney and on Facebook live. This gives us time to have the trophies made and to invite the winners to attend. Please tune in at 7.15pm to the presentation on the Australian Gin Distillers Face Book page.
Certificates celebrating the medals will be mailed in October. There will be a form for the purchase of bottle stickers posted with the results.
JUDGING DURING COVID AND MEDIA COVERAGE
Trophies, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded during the judging. Due to the lock down in NSW entry bottles have been shipped to Tasmania, ACT and Queensland when they have been judged under strict conditions. Some extra spirits experts have been engaged to judge and all judging is blind with the assistance of a team of stewards. Chairman Bill Lark is supervising and approving the process. The logistics are being managed by the Australian Gin Distillers Association office.
Our web site (www.australianginawards.com.au) will feature display coverage of all trophy winners plus lists of all medals awarded. It will be our task to ensure that the trade and the public are made aware of all of the awarded gin.
CCL Label will offer an easy-order web page for medals for your bottles. This will also be on the Results pages of our web site.
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
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. Due to changes caused by the Pandemic the details for the Presentation will be announced.
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
JUDGING AND PRIZES
Due to the interruption caused by Covid the judging for the Packaging Awards has been delayed until November. The results will be published on this website shortly thereafter.
The three top bottles will win the following CCL Label awards;
1st prize: $4000 print voucher, $1000 Concept Lab voucher, total value $5000.
2nd prize: $2000 print voucher, $1000 Concept Lab voucher, total value $3000.
3rd prize: $1000 print voucher, $1000 Concept Lab voucher, total value $2000.
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.