Winners of the inaugural Sydney Royal Distilled Spirit Show and 2024 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show were unveiled last night at an awards ceremony held in Sydney.
Across both shows a total of 25 trophies were handed out, made up of 14 spirits champions and 11 beer and cider trophies, which included nine new trophies introduced under the revamped beer and cider award structure.
Scooping the top awards were St Agnes Distillery, which won the inaugural Best Distilled Spirit of Show for St Agnes XO Grand Reserve, and Esker Beer Co. which claimed the coveted Champion Beer or Cider trophy for its Esker Citrus Gose.
Not only was Esker Citrus Gose named Australia’s best beer, it collected two additional trophies for Best NSW Beer or Cider and Champion Fruit or Sour. The brewery secured a fourth trophy for its Esker West Coast IPA, which was awarded Champion Indian Pale Ale.
Ian Kingham, Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show Chair, said: “I was particularly impressed with Esker Beer Co. Following a rebrand and redirection in 2022, the Hills Shire brewery has not only won four champions and a plethora of gold and silver medals, but they have taken home the top award with the Esker Citrus Gose really impressing our judges.”
Sydney Royal Distilled Spirit Show winners
Of the 270 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirit Show entrants, 88 per cent received a medal, with regional towns dominating the champion prizes.
Sydney Royal Chair of Judges Stuart Gregor commented: “The inaugural Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show was, I think, a great success with the competition receiving more than 270 entries and delivering a wonderfully varied range of winners, with a strong emphasis on regional NSW.
“If you had told me that a rum from Canberra and a gin from Yamba would be category champions, I might have raised some eyebrows, but both are absolute belters, world class examples of their respective styles and worthy gold medal winners in any competition in the world.”
The category with the most entries was gin. Standouts included Yamba Distilling Co’s Duke – Dry Gin which claimed the Champion Traditional Gin trophy, while the Central Coast’s Pants Off Distillery was awarded Champion Contemporary Gin for its Antz Pants Gin. Putting Lord Howe Island on the map, Champion Other Gin was awarded to Lord Howe Island Distilling Co’s Wolfe Rock Gin.
Australian agave spirit Act of Treason added to its accolades, claiming the inaugural Best Alternative Spirit trophy for Act of Treason Reposado.
Trent Fraser, CEO of Top Shelf International which owns Act of Treason, said: “This win is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to excellence. The farm and distilling team have created something truly special and everywhere we take it people are falling in love with the spirit.
“The all-Australian Margarita is in full swing with summer just around the corner and we can’t wait for the rest of Australia and the world to have their first Treason moment.”
Gregor added: “Australia is now growing a few thousand hectares of agave, the succulent that makes the famous tequila and mezcal spirits of Mexico and our inaugural winner, the Act of Treason Reposado, meaning rested in barrel for several months, was as good an example as most highly regarded commercial tequilas. The agave for this is grown near Airlie Beach in Northern Queensland and is a product to watch for sure.”
Central Coast’s Amber Lane Distillery took home Champion Single Malt Whisky with its Alchemical Series: Water, The Canberra Distillery claimed Champion Liqueur for its Coffee Liqueur, and Manly Spirits Co’s Grape & Grain vodka was awarded Champion Vodka and Champion NSW Distilled Spirit.
Other distilleries recognised include Fleurieu Distillery whose Country to Coast #5 was crowned Champion Grain or Blend Whisky and Lord Byron Distillery which scored Champion Cane Spirit or Rum for its Pure Single Rum, while the inaugural Champion Ready to Drink went to Curatif’s Espresso Martini.
Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show winners
Entries for the 2024 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show were received from a total of 206 exhibits across Australia, 83 per cent of which scored either a gold, silver or bronze medal.
For the first time, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW awarded a Champion Reduced or No Alcohol Beer or Cider trophy to reflect the evolving preferences of consumers, which Hiatus Beers won for its Non-Alcoholic Pacific Ale.
Other beers recognised at the show include Philter Brewing’s XPA, awarded Champion Pale Ale, and White Bay Brewery’s Czech Pilsner, which was the recipient of the Champion Lager trophy.
Darker beers also had their moment, with Reckless Brewing Co scooping two trophies, Champion Amber or Dark Ale for BX Old and Champion Experimental or Specialty Beer for Baltic Porter. Claiming the trophy for Champion Porter or Stout was 4 Pines Brewing Company’s Nitro Stout.
Another standout this year was the cider category, with Flying Brick Cider Co awarded Champion Cider for its Flying Brick Cider Co MC Cider.
Kingham added: “For me, [the cider category] was the strongest it has ever been, and the four ciders presented for the championship trophy are all world-class ciders that should be recognised for that level of excellence.”
Speaking about the decision to introduce nine new champion trophies, as a means of better reflecting trends in the Australian brewing industry, Kingham said: “I think what has come out of that is a very deserving range of champion winners who are producing quality products that can be enjoyed by a wide demographic.
“I encourage consumers to have a look at the results, try some of the champion winners but also explore our gold, silver and bronze medal winners, as I have no doubt there is a beer or cider for everyone to enjoy.”
This year’s judging panel comprised 20 experts from across the Australian beer and cider industry, including senior judge and Toohey’s Brewery team leader Tom Davies, who began as a steward in 2017 and was recognised for his dedication to the competition with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Youth Medal.
Kingham said: “The team of judges we had on board this year was fantastic. We were lucky enough to welcome experts ranging from brewers and industry media to sensory teams and technical industry professionals, who come from both large and independent breweries, to ensure we were providing the best possible feedback to exhibitors.”
The full list of champions and medal winners for both shows can be found at www.rasnsw.com.au.