Entries open for the 2022 Melbourne Royal Australian Distilled Spirits Awards - Update!

Entries are now open for the 2022 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards. Established in 2015, this is Australia’s first and largest spirits competition recognising excellence in Australian distilled spirits, liqueurs and bitters.  

Australia is now known as a premium spirit-producing country with enthusiastic producers creating sophisticated drops that are being lapped up by excited audiences around Australia. As the industry evolves at a serious pace, the 2022 Awards sees several exciting class and category changes, including a new whisky trophy.   

“The Melbourne Royal awards programs are always innovating to ensure that they remain relevant to industry and consumers,” said Damian Nieuwesteeg, Manager Awards Programs Food, Beverage and Horticulture. “In consultation with our Industry Advisory Group we have made some category changes that will keep these Awards at the forefront of distilling trends happening right now in Australia.”  

The Best Whisky trophy has been split into two new trophies, Best Single Malt Whisky and Best Grain or Blended Whisky, to better represent the category and its diversity.  

Introduced last year, the Wine Gin class has been expanded and renamed Wine/Grape Gin and is for gins ‘flavoured with the addition of wine or grape juice’. The Aromatic category has been reworked and renamed Best Bitter and will include classes for Bitter Liqueurs and Cocktail Bitters.  

Entries close Friday 29 July with the results to be announced on Wednesday 26 October in the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds.