Adelaide distillery takes home World’s Best title
A local SA distillery has seen its “very unique” liqueurs named the best at the world’s largest spirits awards.
Adelaide’s Prohibition Liquor Co. has taken home four major awards at the 2026 World Drinks Awards hosted this week at the Waldorf Hotel in London.
The World Drinks Awards was launched in 2007 to recognise the best spirit drinks and the styles within the categories and has since become one of the world’s largest spirits awards.
Prohibition’s Coffee Liqueur was recognised as the World’s Best Coffee Liqueur for the third year in a row, while its Hazelnut and Macadamia Liqueur took home World’s Best Nut Liqueur for the second consecutive year.
Prohibition founder Adam Carpenter said the awards showcased that Adelaide was home to “truly world class” products.
“It’s always good to give people a reminder that they should support local and know that just because they’re drinking something that was made around the corner doesn’t mean it’s not some of the best in the world,” Carpenter told InDaily.
“To be named the world’s best coffee liqueur once is an incredible achievement. To receive that recognition three years in a row is something we’re immensely proud of.
You might like
“Both are very unique products in the way they’re made, but also the ingredients that we use. So, it’s just that constant dedication to making the best things we can make.”
Prohibition was also awarded the Icons of Gin – Campaign Innovator of the Year and received the Gold Design Award for the company’s new bottle range design.
The design award recognised Prohibition’s brand building, creativity and marketing innovation.
It follows a number of recent changes, with the company opening a new tasting room in a restored historical distillery site at Seppeltsfield Estate in February.
The distillery’s Gilbert Street CBD venue recently changed its operations from a “drop-in venue” to a more function-oriented space due to ongoing cost pressures, which Carpenter says was “working really well” for business.
He said the recent string of awards would benefit the business and provide “another angle to be able to market and promote the products”.
Stay informed, daily
“I’ve just come back from a trip to Hong Kong, China and Singapore working on new export markets,” Carpenter said.
“Those wins on a global stage definitely help us a lot when extending into new markets.”
Carpenter hinted at some new flavours of gin and liqueur currently in the pipeline that could be future award contenders, but remained tight-lipped when asked to reveal the flavours.
“We’ve got a few things that we’re working on all the time, so there’s some new gins and some new liqueurs, which are some interesting flavours,” he said.
“I probably can’t give too much away, because those products still haven’t launched.”
Prohibition head distiller and Champion Australian Distiller award recipient Hugh Lumsden said the results recognised both the quality of the product and strength of the brand.
“We’ve always believed that great spirits should tell a story and create memorable experiences,” Lumsden said.
“Our focus has never been solely on making exceptional products, but also on creating brands and experiences that people genuinely connect with.
“To see that recognised on a global stage year after year is incredibly rewarding.”
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
