The seventh annual Tasting Australia Spirit Awards are now open and distillers from across the nation are invited to submit their entries.
Australian distillers can submit their products to any of the 11 award categoriesfor the chance to earn national acclaim and receive valuable product feedback and tasting notes from industry experts including Campari Academy Australia’s Krystal Hart and drinks writer Fred Siggins. Legendary Tasmanian distiller Bill Lark returns as Spirit Awards Patron.
Gold medal winners will be awarded in August and integrated into events and drinks programming during the Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel festival in autumn 2025.
South Australian Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison said the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards is a chance to showcase the quality of South Australian products and those from around the nation.
“This year’s edition of Tasting Australia saw record attendance and we are excited to continue that momentum into the 2024 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards,” Minister Bettison said.
“Since the awards began seven years ago, we have seen the country’s distilling industry grow exponentially, with South Australian producers leading the way and helping showcase our state’s premium products on a national stage.”
Head Judge Ollie Margan, a South Australian hospitality entrepreneur, said he felt privileged to lead judging again this year in a competition that celebrates distillers.
“It’s so inspiring to see what distillers of Australia are capable of. Competitions like the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards celebrate, acknowledge and inspire innovation amongst distillers,” Mr Margan said.
“This is a valuable opportunity for distillers to connect, benchmark themselves against their peers, and get their product in front of industry leaders and experts.
“As someone in the hospitality industry, we are looking for products that are innovative, high quality and something marketable that consumers will want to buy and drink.”
Entries open today and close on Friday 26 July 2024. An awards presentation will take place on Wednesday 28 August in Adelaide. For the first time, this will be followed by an Industry Tasting event the next day where all entries will be available to taste and benchmark against winners in each category.
