We all know how great Australian gin is, and that understanding and appreciation for the amazing gins our distilleries are producing continues to be recognised on the global scale with several Australian distilleries taking out key awards at The Icons of Gin in London last week.
It was a range of awards across key categories that cemented an amazing night for Australian distilleries, with Archie Rose leading the way after being named Distiller of the Year. Four Pillars’ Cameron Mackenzie was named Master Distiller of the Year, with the distillery named Visitor Attraction of the Year and Sustainable Distillery of the Year, while Swan Valley distillery Old Young’s was named the Craft Producer of the Year and Brand Innovator of the Year.
Will Edwards, Founder of Archie Rose Distilling Co. told Bars and Clubs: “We’re thrilled to be awarded the top honour of Distiller of the Year, but even more so to see Australian gins continue to be recognised as absolutely world class – with Four Pillars and Old Young’s also picking up major trophies.
“Moreover, for our production team to be recognised as not only Gin Distillery of the Year, but also with top global honours across Single Malt Whisky, Rye Malt Whisky, Vodka, and Rum in the past twelve months, speaks volumes to the consistency, expertise and commitment to quality across all spirits categories that Dave and our distilling team demonstrate day in day out.
“It’s seriously inspiring to work with such an incredible team.”
Four Pillars’ Co-Founder and Distiller, Cameron Mackenzie was also understandably delighted with the wins for his team, he said: “You are only as good as the people around you and awards like this are a wonderful reflection of our incredibly talented and hard-working team. From distilling to packaging and marketing to hospitality – Stu, Matt and I are surrounded by absolute rockstars.
“It’s brilliant to see the team recognised for their efforts in sustainability which has been a big focus for the last few years. Our investment in this area is paying off immeasurably. We have an amazing hospitality team that have stuck with us through what you could only call interesting times. Their passion and knowledge is infectious and the entire team deserves such recognition,” says Mackenzie.
“We also want to recognise a couple of our mates who did really well at the same awards – well played Archie Rose and Old Young’s on your terrific trophies. Aussie gin for the win. Always.”
Old Young’s Founder James Young said: “Winning just one trophy at The Icon of Gin Awards would be a career bucket list item – but two, wow.
“When you look at the past winners of these two awards, it’s a who’s who of the world’s most respected brands, selling in dozens of countries, and selling hundreds of thousands of bottles a year. Brands like Adnams in the UK, Citadelle from France, Australia’s Four Pillars, Kyoto gin from Japan, Audemus from France, and the UK’s Warner’s Distillery. It’s humbling to now be mentioned in the same sentence.
“Winning Brand Innovator of the year is equally important – when the pandemic hit, I decided to launch Australia’s most unique gin subscription service, The Juniper Society. It’s like Netflix – but Gin. Each month you get a brand new, never to be repeated gin delivered to your door for $59. We’ve released 30 editions so far, and these allow my creative side to run wild – it’s the reason why I believe I have the best job in the world.”
Australian gin continues to shine on the global stage, and if you want to find out more about what is happening at a local level, head to this year’s Australian Distillers Association Conference, taking place in Melbourne, 26-28 March.
