Rodney Stevens
Yamba Distilling Co took on the titans of the brewing and distilling industry at the Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show last month taking out the title of Champion Traditional Gin award for their Duke Dry Gin.
The inaugural 2024 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show, which is destined to be an annual showcase of some of the best spirits across Australia, is hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.
Distillation of spirits aims to achieve purity, resulting in a smooth and clean foundation for most cocktails and flavourful liqueurs.
Fermented from either fruit, neutral grains or sugar, each of the various categories brings a unique flavour and a distinct style.
Highly influenced by region and culture, distilled spirits are sophisticated and elevate hospitality.
Yamba Distilling Co owners Alison Sloley and Adam Freeman said they sent a couple of bottles of each variety they wanted to enter, and a big panel of judges pick the best in each category.
In the show, Yamba Distilling Co entered 6 categories and won medals for their Dry Duke Gin – Gold; Grappa Adormo collaboration with ElOcaso Yamba and Jilly’s Wines Clunes – Silver; Mandarella liqueur made with Palmers Island mandarins – Silver; Dark Horse liqueur made with Botero Coffee – Silver; Fig Gin made with Figs from Brooklet – Silver; Mighty Clarence Cane Spirit made with Sunshine Sugar – Bronze; and their Mandy Mandarin Gin made with Palmers Island mandarins – Bronze.
Distillers Adam Freeman and Fraser Nurse attended the awards on Tuesday, September 17, at in Sydney.
“In each one of the categories we entered we either got Gold, Silver, or Bronze…there’s not just one Gold, Silver, or Bronze, it’s a points system, so you have to earn a certain number of points to get a medal,” Alison said.
“For us to get a medal for in every one of the categories we entered we are really proud.”
Yamba Distilling Co’s standout performer at the show was their Dry Duke Gin which took out the Champion Traditional Gin award just four years after the distillery was launched.
“We won a Gold medal first in the Champion Traditional Gin category then we won the Champion Traditional Gin category overall,” Alison said.
Securing this prestigious win in front of all the distilling industry heavyweights was both exciting and a way to say thank you to their peers.
“The Australian Distilling industry is very close and very supportive, so a lot of those people have helped support us by sharing knowledge and experience, because we’ve only been going for four years,” Alison said
“They’re our peers and we really respect them.
“To win a championship up against such great gins is way beyond our dreams, we are very proud.”
To achieve Champion Traditional Gin status, Yamba Distilling Co’s Dry Duke Gin uses premium quality local ingredients, with the recipe refined over the years to develop its flavour and aroma.
“We source a lot of local ingredients, a lot of our native botanicals from the Clarence Valley which obviously are excellent quality, and we have an amazing community that has given us a lot of support and feedback,” Alison said.
“We have spent a lot of time to try to get better at making this gin and refining it and we learned a lot through our loyal customers.
“We sit down and look at it and open up old bottles and we also open up bottles of gin that we really like and think how’s our Duke going, so it’s just a constant process of analysing and improvement.”
Sydney Royal Chair of Judges, Stuart Gregor said the inaugural Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show was 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,” he said.
To view all this year’s champion and medal winners visit https://www.rasnsw.com.au/