By Stefanie Collins, editor b&c
The Australian Distilled Spirits Awards ceremony took place in Melbourne last night, with Limeburners Distillery taking out three of the major awards of the night.
The Western Australian distillery was awarded Champion Australian Distiller, Champion Australian Small Batch Spirit, and Champion Whisky – the latter two for its Limeburners Single Malt Whisky Heavy Peat M226.
In a statement on Facebook owner and founder Cameron Syme expressed his shock and delight at winning three trophies and a slew of medals.
“Feeling pretty happy!!!! Never thought I'd be an Australian Champion. Thanks to all our supporters – these are for you,” he wrote.
The night was all about boutique distillers with Kangaroo Island Spirits (KIS) owners Jon and Sarah Lark taking out the hotly contested gin category.
“As passionate Australian craft distillers and committed food and wine ambassadors for Brand Kangaroo Island, we are delighted to celebrate this win and our product’s success,” the Larks said in a statement.
The second annual outing of the awards shows that again, the results were all about Western Australia, with the champion distiller, whisky, vodka and rum all hailing from the state.
See below for the full trophy list:
Champion Australian Distiller
Limeburners Distillery, Western Australia
Champion Australian Small Batch Spirit
Limeburners Single Malt Whisky Heavy Peat M226
Limeburners Distillery, Western Australia
Champion Whisky
Limeburners Single Malt Whisky Heavy Peat M226
Limeburners Distillery, Western Australia
Champion Gin
kis Old Tom
Kangaroo Island Spirits, South Australia
Champion Vodka
Pure No. 1
Old Young's, Western Australia
Champion Brandy
St Agnes XO
St Agnes Distillery, South Australia
Champion Rum
Ord River Rum – Premium
Hoochery Distillery, Western Australia
Champion Liqueur
Golden Knight Schnapps Liqueur
Castle Glen Australia Pty Ltd, Queensland