Australia has long been highly regarded for gin production, so itโs not much of a surprise seeing some of the best local distilleries pop up in this yearโs World Gin Awards results. From McLaren Vale to North Jindong, the country regularly pumps out some fascinating expressions using various โ often native โ botanicals, making that authoritative nod from Gin Magazine a nice swing of recognition for a tireless industry that has been going from strength to strength over the past few years.
While Four Pillars is still the dominant name when it comes to Australian gin, itโs clear global recognition is starting to highlight many other corners of the country. Never Never Distilling Co., based out of South Australia, is fast emerging as an awards favourite, with Tim Boast being named Master Distiller of the Year, beating out another Aussie โ Dave Withers of Archie Rose coming in as Highly Commended.
Cape Byron Distillery, based out of McLeods Shoot, was named Highly Commended when it came to the Sustainable Distillery of the Year award, just missing the nod to Vietnamโs Brewstillery which made headlines last year for using upcycled craft beer to create a new kind of gin.
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Moving into the specifically gin-focused categories, Australia managed to take our two of the โworldโs bestโ titles, with Never Never Distilling Coโs Triple Juniper Gin Export Strength named the Worldโs Best London Dry Gin, and Devils Thumb Distilleryโs Navy Strength Gin taking out the top spot for Worldโs Best Navy Gin. The latter is particularly interesting, seeing as itโs Four Pillars who are usually referenced when it comes to navy gin in Australia.
Speaking of Four Pillars, the emblematic Yarra Valley distillery once again dominated, with both Brand Innovator of the Year and Distiller of the Year.
The Gin Magazine Awards were announced virtually for the second consecutive year, due to obvious reasons, and were live streamed via the publicationโs social media channels last year. The long-running program has been a reference point for gin fans for years, mostly because it shifts through an incredibly bloated industry and gives drinkers a bit of a hit list for the year.
This yearโs hit list is as follows.
World Gin Awards Winners [2022]
Communicator of the Year
Emma Stokes, Gin Monkey
Visitor Attractor of the Year
Shed 1 Distillery [UK]
Master Distiller of the Year
Winner: Tim Boast, Never Never Distilling Co. [Australia]
Highly Commended: Dave Withers, Archie Rose Distilling Co. [Australia]
Own Brand Supermarket of the Year
Lidl [Ireland]
Design Agency of the Year
Knockout
Brand Innovator of the Year
Winner: Four Pillars Gin [Australia]
Highly Commended: OโGin [Australia]
Sustainable Distillery of the Year
Winner: Brewstillery [Vietnam]
Highly Commended: Cape Byron Distillery [Australia]
Hotel Bar of the Year
Gin & Juice at No. 131 Cheltenham [UK]
Distiller of the Year
Winner: Four Pillars Gin [Australia]
Highly Commended: OโGin [Australia]
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Worldโs Best Classic Gin
Awildian Coromandel Dry Gin [New Zealand]
Worldโs Best Compound Gin
The Three Brothers, Bathtub Gin [Lebanon]
Worldโs Best Contemporary Style Gin
Bosque Alta, Montaรฑa [Argentina]
Worldโs Best Flavoured Gin
Jaffa Cake Gin [England]
Worldโs Best Genever
Houblonesse Hopscheutenjenever [Belgium]
Worldโs Best London Dry Gin
Never Never Distilling Co., Triple Juniper Gin Export Strength [Australia]
Worldโs Best Matured Gin
Lydรฉn Distillery, Cask Gin [Sweden]
Worldโs Best Navy Gin
Devils Thumb Distillery, Navy Strength Gin [Australia]
Worldโs Best Old Tom Gin
Broken Bones Gin, Old Tom Gin [Slovenia]
Worldโs Best Signature Botanical
Haymanโs, Exotic Citrus Gin [England]
Worldโs Best Sloe Gin
Maral, Sloe Gin [Belgium]
Gin Magazine Hall of Fame Inductees 2022
Nicholas Cook, Director General, The Gin Guild
Joanne Moore, Master Distiller, G&J Distillers
Philip Moore, Founder and Distiller, Distillery Botanica
Carolus Nolet Sr, Chairman and Owner, Nolet Distillery
More of a whisky fan? Check out our round-up for the best Australian whiskies for your collection.
