All the winners from recent Australian drinks competitions 

Over the past few weeks, results from the 2024 Spirit Awards, 2024 Gin Awards, and the 2024 James Halliday Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge have all been released publicly. This article will catch you up to speed with all of the most important results.

2024 Gin Awards

Last week, New Zealand’s Bluff London Dry Gin was crowned Best in Show at the 2024 Gin Awards, the awards established by the Australian Gin Distillers Association. According to the judges, Bluff London Dry is “a classic style gin achieving a standard of excellence.. Beautifully balanced with top class integration of botanicals into the classic framework. An exceptional gin.” 

In addition to the top accolade, the 2024 Gin Awards featured seven class winners: 

• Classic Dry Gin: Bluff London Dry Gin
• Contemporary Style Gin: Juniper Society by Old Young’s Chilli & Rose Gin
• Matured Gin: Cauldron Distillery Christmas Gin (Barrel Aged)
• Old Tom Gin: Kilderkin Distillery Larrikin’s Grin Old Tom
• Overproof Gin: Wildflower Gin Distillery Navy Strength Gin
• Traditional Gin Liqueurs: Imperial Measures Distilling Ounce Gin ‘Shiraz’
• Flavoured Gin: Little Stiller Distillery Pink Gin

“Year after year, the quality and complexity of gins submitted to our competition have soared,” said Chairman Mikey Enright.

“All entries were assessed and scored then the best in class was chosen. Once this process is completed, we have a round table discussion with all judges and a tasting of the seven best in class to determine the ‘Best in Show’. This is tough decision time because the gins are such high quality at this stage of elimination.”

Drinks Trade heard from one of the winning distilleries, Wildflower Gin, following the published results. 

"Winning the trophy at the Australian Gin Awards is a testament to the hard work and passion of our entire team," said James Greig, Founder of Wildflower Gin. 

"As we continue to grow and face new challenges, we remain dedicated to crafting the finest spirits and supporting our local community of distillers."

To review the additional 47 medal winners, click here.  

2024 James Halliday Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge

At this year’s Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge, Briar Ridge Block 7 Chardonnay 2023, from the Orange Wine Region, and the Forest Hill Vineyard Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, from the Great Southern, were named as Australia’s top scoring Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines for the year, leading out an entry pool of 622 wines from across 37 Australian wine regions.

Designed to shine a light on the strong diversity of Australia’s wine regions, the competition recognised 13 Chardonnay and seven Cabernet Sauvignon regional winners for 2024. One of the more notable results was that of Handpicked Wines, which was named the best Chardonnay for the Yarra Valley, Tasmania, and Mornington Peninsula respectively. 

“This is an incredible achievement for our winemaking and viticultural team, and so I want to express a huge congratulations to all the DMG members,” said William Dong, CEO and Founder of Handpicked Wines.

“Over the past 21 years, our single focus has been to create the best wines from the greatest regions, and we've steadily accomplished this. Last year, our Wombat Creek Chardonnay was named Best Chardonnay from Yarra Valley, Best Chardonnay in Australia, and Best White Wine in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, which was fantastic. Now having three of our regional Chardonnays win three regional trophies at the James Halliday Wine Challenge- it is truly remarkable.”

The full Regional Winner results are as follows:

Chardonnay:

• Adelaide Hills Orlando Lyndale Chardonnay 2022 96 points
• Beechworth Brokenwood Wines Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 96 points
• Eden Valley St Hugo Eden Valley Chardonnay 2023 95 points
• Hunter Valley Silkman Wines Reserve Chardonnay 2023 96 points
• Langhorne Creek Saddler’s Creek Wines Winemaker’s Craft Pump Shed Chardonnay 2023 95 points
• Margaret River Stones + Thunder Calm Before The Storm Chardonnay 2023 96 points
• Mornington Peninsula Handpicked Wines Collection Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2022 95 points
• Orange Briar Ridge Block 7 Chardonnay 2023 97 points
• Pemberton Below&Above Chardonnay 2020 95 points
• Sunbury Marnong Estate Chardonnay 2022 95 points
• Tasmania Handpicked Wines Collection Tasmania Chardonnay 2022 96 points
• Tumbarumba Hungerford Hill Chardonnay 2023 95 points
• Yarra Valley Handpicked Wines Collection Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022 96 points

Cabernet Sauvignon:

• Barossa Valley Peter Lehmann Wines The Barossan Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 96 points
• Clare Valley Knappstein Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 96 points
• Coonawarra Nightfall Wines Draco Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 95 points
• Great Southern Forest Hill Vineyard Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 97 points
• Margaret River Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 96 points
• McLaren Vale Chapel Hill The MV McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 95 pointsYarra Valley Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 96 points

2024 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards

Out of 215 entries, 40 gold medals were awarded at the 2024 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards. Notably, Adelaide-based Imperial Measures Distilling secured five major awards, including Best Gin, Best Vermouth/Bitters/Other, Best Distiller, the Premier's Spirit Award, and the Innovation Award. 

The full results from the event are pasted below:

• Best Whisky: Fleurieu Distillery – Country to Coast #5
• Best Gin: Imperial Measures Distilling – Ounce Gin ‘Bold’
• Best Vodka: The Antipodes Gin Co – Antipodes Organic Vodka
• Best Rum: Bundaberg Distilling Company – Bundaberg Rum: Master Distillers’ Collection – Solera 
• Best Brandy: St Agnes Distillery – St Agnes XO 40 Year Old Grand Reserve Brandy
• Best Liqueur: Joadja Distillery – Joadja Anise Liqueur
• Best Vermouth / Bitters / Other: Imperial Measures Distilling – Auvert Liqueur
• Premier’s Spirit Award: Imperial Measures Distilling – Auvert Liqueur
• Best Distiller: Imperial Measures Distilling – Ounce Gin ‘Bold’ and Ounce Whisky
• Innovation Award: Imperial Measures Distilling – Auvert Liqueur
• Best New Distiller: Ragazzi e Succo - Ragazzi e Succo Aperitivo and Ragazzi e Succo Amaro