St Agnes Distillery named Best Spirit, whisky liqueur makes its mark, and absinthe is back on the menu at the 2025 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirit Awards.
Fourteen of Australia’s best spirits were crowned tonight as the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW announced the champion winners of its 2025 Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show.
The national awards follow the rigorous judging of almost 300 Australian spirits last week, with St Agnes Distillery claiming the coveted Best Distilled Spirit of Show, alongside Best Brandy, with its St Agnes XO 15 Year Old.
This marks the second consecutive year St Agnes has taken out the top prize, with the revered producer having won in 2024 thanks to its St Agnes XO Grand Reserve 40 Year Old, and according to Sydney Royal Chair of Judges, Stuart Gregor, the distillery is more than deserving of the spotlight.
“Brandies from the winning distillery should probably be registered as national treasures - they are exquisite, and the winner balances freshness and age perfectly. They are the world's best, no question,” shared Gregor.
South Australia dominated the whisky category, with Tria Prima taking home Champion Single Malt Whisky for its Tria Prima Enchantress, while Fleurieu Distillery won Champion Grain or Blend Whisky for the second year running, this time with its Mary Ann blend. The distillery also took home the prestigious Chair of Judges Annual Prize with its Telemachus whisky.
“The whisky classes really shone this year, particularly the single malt whiskies. To me, this is proof that Australian whisky is on the cusp of a potential golden age. The Telemachus I selected for the Chair of Judges Annual Prize is a stunning example of where I think Australian whisky can land over the next few years,” Gregor said.
In the lighter spirits, gin was celebrated for its impressive medal count, with 75% of entries in the traditional class and 89% of entries in the contemporary class receiving a medal.
The top picks - Never Never Distilling Co’s Triple Juniper Gin, which won Champion Traditional Gin; Bright Night Spirit’s Wild Tasmanian Gin, which took home Champion Contemporary Gin; and Four Pillars’ Navy Strength Gin, which was named Champion Other Gin.
“I firmly believe Australia makes the world's best gin right now, and this show reinforced that view for me - the winners were terrific and show a lovely balance of traditional and Aussie botanicals.
“And my favourite surprise was the calibre of liqueurs entered. This is often a class that is overlooked and sometimes dominated by overly sweet “fake fruit” flavours. This year, there were four or five liqueurs that could easily have won a trophy.
“The Champion Liqueur was an absolute blinder, uniquely delicious and balanced, and a style we would love to see more of.”
Champion Liqueur went to Marionette’s rich and fruity whisky liqueur, the Caretaker’s Cottage Black Forest. In the Champion Alternative Spirit category, Never Never Distilling Co came out on top again, this time with its limited edition, Australian Absinthe.
Shining a light on NSW small producers, Blue Mountains Gin Company won Champion Vodka with its Wild Dog Vodka, while Banks & Solander Distillery’s Cask Strength Rum was named Champion Cane Spirit or Rum and Best NSW Distilled Spirit. And the perfect drink for summer? Four Pillars’ Rare Dry Gin and Tonic, which won Champion Ready to Drink.
“The Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Show is about shining a light on the Australian distilled spirits industry and celebrating the craftsmanship of some of our best producers. And I believe in 2025 we did just that, the calibre of entries was fantastic and the spread of exhibitors from across the nation was great to see - with four states represented amongst tonight’s champion winners.
“I congratulate all of the winners and thank all who contributed and exhibited at this year’s Show.”
