All the top performing spirits and beers from the 2024 Sydney Royal

This week, the results from the 2024 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show and the 2024 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show have been announced, with St Agnes XO Grand Reserve and Esker Citrus Gose being named Best in Show in their respective competitions. 

St Agnes’ XO Grand Reserve also received the title of Best Brandy at this year’s Tasting Australia Spirit Awards and the Australian Distilled Spirits awards, with the distillery also being named Distillery of the Year at the latter. 

“We are immensely proud and honoured to receive the Best Brandy Trophy and the Best Distilled Spirit at the Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Awards,” said Richard Angove, joint Managing Director of Angove Family Winemakers and a fifth generation family member in charge of St Agnes brandy. 

“These awards reflect the hard work and passion that our team puts into every bottle. Our XO Grand Reserve 40-Year-Old Brandy represents the pinnacle of our distilling expertise and our commitment to creating world-class spirits.”

Chair of Judges and Four Pillars’ Founder Stuart Gregor added, “this is a truly incredible brandy, as good, and frankly probably better than many of the most expensive and prestigious French Cognacs. It has an almost impossibly rich and unctuous palate and length that seems to go forever. Sure, its expensive ($1000 a bottle or thereabouts) but if drinking the greatest spirits in the world is your thing, then you simply MUST taste this St Agnes.”

Esker Beer Co, formerly the Australian Brewery, took out the title of Best Beer or Cider of Show, along with the Champion Fruit or Sour, for its Citrus Gose. Additionally, its West Coast IPA also received the title of Champion India Pale Ale. This follows on from receiving the Best Modern Pale Ale Award in last year’s Australian International Beer Awards.

Chair of Judges Ian Kingham said he “was particularly impressed with Esker” in this year’s awards.

“Following a rebrand and redirection in 2022, the Hills Shire brewery has not only won four champions and a plethora of gold and silver medals, but they have taken home the top award with the Esker Citrus Gose really impressing our judges.”

Kingham also said that this year’s cider category “was the strongest it has ever been,” with Flying Brick Cider Co MC Cider taking home the Champion Cider trophy. 

“The four ciders presented for the championship trophy are all world-class ciders that should be recognised for that level of excellence,” he added.

Stuart Gregor was similarly impressed by both the overall quality and diversity of the spirits entered into the Sydney Royal Show 2024.

“If you had told me that a rum from Canberra and a gin from Yamba would be category champions, I might have raised some eyebrows, but both are absolute belters, world class examples of their respective styles and worthy gold medal winners in any competition in the world,” he said, referring to Champion Tradition Gin trophy winner, Yamba Distilling Duke Dry  Gin and Champion Cane Spirit or Rum trophy winner Lord Byron Distillery Pure Single Rum – Ex-Red Wine. 2023 Release Cask #8.

Top Shelf International’s House of Treason agave project also earned itself recognition in the awards, with its Reposado receiving the Champion Alternative Spirit trophy. According to CEO Trent Fraser, the “win is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to excellence… The farm and distilling team have created something truly special and everywhere we take it people are falling in love with the spirit.”

Stuart Gregor added that it “is every bit as good of an agave [spirit] that you would have from Mexico, no question. It’s a great product… You’re making good product from good plants and you’ve got some good barrels with that Reposado.”

Click here to view the full results from the 2024 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show and here for the 2024 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show results.