SA distilleries big shots at prestigious spirit awards
Local SA distilleries reach the top shelf at one of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading comps – one local winery and distiller winning its prestigious leading award. See the list of our best gin, whisky and brandy makers.
The state’s best distilleries have been recognised at one of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading competitions in Melbourne on Monday night with a renowned Renmark winery and distiller taking out the top gong.
Leading SA distilleries were named the best across seven different categories at the Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards that has become one of the country’s most prestigious spirit competitions since its inception in 2015.
Renmark-based St Agnes Distillery won the top honour as Champion Large Australian Distiller for its “outstanding achievement in distilling excellence”, with the distillery also taking home the Best Brandy award for its 15-year-old St Agnes XO for the second consecutive year.
Adelaide distiller Prohibition Liquor Co was named as winning the Consistency of Excellence Award at the Melbourne Showgrounds event, which recognises products that have demonstrated high quality over multiple years, for its Hazelnut and Macadamia Liqueur.
The Hazelnut and Macadamia Liqueur recently won the World’s Best Nut Liqueur for the second consecutive year at the 2026 World Drinks Awards in London.
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Prohibition Liquor founder Adam Carpenter told InDaily the awards could be attributed to a “relentless pursuit in making the best” products possible.
“For us it’s always about benchmarking ourselves against our peers, and Melbourne Royal is one of those awards that all the distillers in Australia respect a lot. It’s always great to get that recognition,” Carpenter said.
“We joke about a lot of things, but we don’t joke about making a quality product. We’re always committing to constant improvement on the products and it’s a personal drive for us to constantly make things better.”
Carpenter said the Hazelnut and Macadamia Liqueur’s combination of native Australian ingredients provided its “unique” flavour profile that “people seem to love wherever we taste it across the world”.
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Never Never Distilling Co based in McLaren Vale was awarded the Champion Australian Gin for its Triple Juniper Gin after being awarded the Best Design award for the gin in 2025. The distillery also claimed the Best London Dry Gin award for its Triple Juniper Gin.
Another standout winner was Bird in Hand and Fleurieu Distillery’s Bird, a blended malt whisky collaboration with Australian businessman Mark Bouris. Fleurieu Distillery was also awarded the Best Australian Single Malt Whisky for Tapestry.
Melbourne Royal senior manager of Food and Beverage Awards Kirrily Waldhorn said the calibre of entries highlighted the continued growth of the awards.
“The exceptional calibre of entries demonstrated the incredible quality, craftsmanship and innovation being achieved by distillers both in Australia and around the world,” Waldhorn said.
“Winning a Melbourne Royal trophy or medal remains a significant achievement, providing producers with an internationally recognised mark of excellence that resonates with both trade and consumers.”
Full list of SA winners:
- Champion Large Australian Distiller — St Agnes Distillery, South Australia
- Champion Australian Gin — Triple Juniper Gin, Never Never Distilling Co, South Australia
- Consistency of Excellence Award — Hazelnut and Macadamia Liqueur — Prohibition Liquor Co, South Australia
- Best Australian Single Malt Whisky — Tapestry, Fleurieu Distillery, South Australia
- Best Blended Malt Whisky — Bird, Bird in Hand and Fleurieu Distillery, South Australia
- Best London Dry Gin — Triple Juniper Gin , Never Never Distilling Co, South Australia
- Best Brandy — St Agnes XO – 15YO, St Agnes Distillery, South Australia
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