Vok Beverages has been recognised with several major awards at this year’s New York International Spirits Competition.
The company landed two Distillery of the Year titles and a sweep of double gold and gold medals.
South Australian brand 23rd Street Distillery was named Australian Whisky Distillery of the Year and earned a double gold medal for its Australian Single Malt and gold for its core Australian Whisky. While the brand built its early reputation in gin, its move into whisky has been transformative for the distillery.
With over 140 years of rum-making history, Beenleigh Rum was named Australian Rum Distillery of the Year, with its XO Rare Rum awarded gold.
In addition, Riverland-based Black Bottle Brandy received double gold for its XO Brandy and gold for its classic brandy, reaffirming its status as a brand to watch as consumer interest in dark spirits continues to grow.
Michael Newbold, Senior Brand Manager at Vok Beverages, expressed the company’s pride in receiving the awards.
“We’ve been incredibly proud of the response to both our Australian whisky and single malt releases. Our distillers set out to create a liquid representative of our unique Australian climate and share that with whisky lovers both new and old,” he said.
“If there’s one thing Aussies do well, it’s champion local brands. Australian whisky has come a long way over the last decade — and we’re excited about its future. It’s why we say that 23rd Street whiskies are proudly imported from nowhere.”
This major milestone for the independent group reflects not only product excellence but its growing influence in shaping the future of Australian dark spirits as global interest in Australian-made spirits continues to grow.
The company has also recently been at the forefront of product innovation with the launch of Real McCoy, entering the flavoured whisk(e)y category with two flavours: Salted Caramel and Buttered Popcorn.