The winners of the 2019 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards (ADSA) have been revealed in an event hosted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), with Hellyers Road named as the Champion Australian Distiller.
The awards saw Champions named in the whisky, gin, vodka, brandy, rum, liqueur and small batch categories. This year also saw co-founding member of the Australian Distillers Association Spike Dessert commemorated with the inaugural Raymond B ‘Spike’ Dessert III Trophy for Champion Rum awarded.
That award went to Spike’s own Hoochery Distillery for the Ord River Rum, Single Barrel Selection.
Having won the Champion Whisky in 2018 for its 10-Year-Old Slightly Peated Malt, Hellyers Road took the next step this year, winning Champion Australian Distiller with Master Distiller and General Manager Mark Littler (pictured above collecting the award) was understandably delighted with the win.
“Our whiskies are beginning to unveil their quality with age and these awards are certainly testimony to this fact,” Littler said. “Some of our oldest single malts are now approaching 17 years which places them amongst the oldest aged statement spirits available from an Australian distillery.
“These whiskies are not only attracting attention from within Australia but also overseas. In the last six months alone we have shipped around one dozen single cask Master Series whiskies to various regions of Asia and the demand continues to escalate.
“Our oldest core range whisky is 15 years and this product too is being courted by distributors in Europe, Asia and the United States. It’s a very exciting time for Hellyers Road and the recognition stemming from these awards will only serve to further the brand’s growing reputation,” he added.
Hellyers Road won two gold and one silver medal for the three whiskies it entered into the awards.
RASV CEO Paul Guerra said the association was proud to host the awards and present the results.
“The 2019 ADSA, continued the trend of consistent growth with a record 337 entries from 98 exhibitors, a 14 per cent increase on the number of entries from last year,” he said. “Our most supported category was Gin with 168 entries, reflective of the growth of gin distillers in Australia.
“The ADSA is Australia’s largest distilled spirits competition. The awards recognise excellence in Australian Distilled Spirits and Liqueurs, provide distillers with an essential benchmarking opportunity and the chance to receive feedback and recognition that can take your business to the next level.”
2019 ADSA Champion Trophies:
Champion Australian Distiller presented by Mastercask
Hellyers Road Distillery, Tasmania
Raymond B ‘Spike’ Dessert III Trophy for Champion Rum
Ord River Rum, Single Barrel Selection – Hoochery Distillery, Western Australia
Champion Whisky presented by Cryer Malt
Fountain of Youth – Fleurieu Distillery, South Australia
Champion Gin presented by Labelhouse
Ounce Gin – Bold – Imperial Measures Distilling, South Australia
Champion Vodka presented by Plasdene Glass-Pak
Citrus Vodka – Alchemy Distillers Pty Ltd, Victoria
Champion Brandy
Apple Brandy – Adelaide Hills Distillery, South Australia
Champion Liqueur
Marionette Dry Cassis – Marionette Liqueur, Victoria
Champion Australian Micro Batch Spirit
Honey Old Tom Whisky Barrel Aged Gin – Anther Experimental Distillation, Victoria
Champion Small Batch Spirit
Batch Zero Gin – South Coast Distillery, New South Wales
