Gin has again dominated the New Zealand Spirits Awards, accounting for almost one-third of all entries in the 2026 competition.<\/p>\n
The awards attracted 430 entries across whisky, rum, brandy, gin, vodka, agave spirits, liqueurs, aperitifs and digestifs, no- and low-alcohol alternatives, and pre-batched cocktails.<\/p>\n
Gin was the largest category with 143 entries, followed by whisky with 72, liqueurs with 51, vodka with 44 and pre-batched cocktails with 41. Rum attracted 37 entries, while there were 23 across aperitifs, digestifs and other spirits.<\/p>\n
A total of 356 medals were awarded, comprising 74 gold, 152 silver and 130 bronze.<\/p>\n
Gin also collected the most gold medals, with 21, narrowly ahead of vodka with 19. Whisky received 10 gold medals, pre-batched drinks nine, rum and aperitif, digestif and other spirits four each, liqueurs and agave spirits three each, and brandy one.<\/p>\n
The gin field was led by the contemporary category, which attracted 58 entries, followed by classic gin with 37 and flavoured gin with 26.<\/p>\n
Gold-medal winners in classic gin included Bluff London Dry Gin, Broken Heart Queenstown Edition, Hastings Distillers East Block 200 Gin, No8 Founders Classic Gin and The Cambridge Distillery\u2019s Just Gin.<\/p>\n
Dancing Sands Mediterranean Gin, Schipper\u2019s Mangawhai Gin and Waipu Gin, Strange Nature Original Gin and Tanqueray No. Ten were among the contemporary-gin gold medallists.<\/p>\n
Six products received gold in the navy-strength category: Broken Heart Navy Strength, Clarity Navy Gin, Lavender Hill Powder Keg Navy Strength, Papaiti Gin Navigator, Scapegrace Gold Gin and Third Island Navy Strength Gin.<\/p>\n
Vodka also performed strongly, with 44 entries and 42 medals awarded. Neutral vodka accounted for 20 entries, flavoured vodka 16 and characterful vodka eight.<\/p>\n
Gold-medal recipients included Woodward Street Distilling Company\u2019s Chichi Vodka, Juno Vesta Coffee Vodka, Southward Jalape\u00f1o Vodka, Wilderkin Feijoa Fix and a wide selection of neutral vodkas from New Zealand and international producers.<\/p>\n
In whisky, New Zealand producers featured prominently in the world-whisky results. Moonlight Creek\u2019s West Coast M\u0101nuka Smoked single malt and Waiheke Whisky Company\u2019s Dyad \u2013 Quartet were awarded gold, while Divergence, Scapegrace, Thomson Whisky and several other local labels earned silver medals.<\/p>\n
Rum attracted four gold medals. Lunatic & Lover received gold for both its Exponential overproof rum and Fundamental white rum, while Best Behaviour Spiced Rum also earned gold.<\/p>\n
The expanding pre-batched category attracted 41 entries and delivered nine gold medals. <\/p>\n
Mixed.\u2019s Mocha Espresso Martini topped the bespoke-cocktail results, while golds in the classic and established category went to products including Canyon Brewing\u2019s Aperol Spritz, Good George and Good Spirits Espresso Martinis, Mighty Mighty Cosmopolitan and Pornstar Martini, Rita\u2019s Still Margarita and The Cambridge Distillery\u2019s Velaro.<\/p>\n
Spirits New Zealand Chief Executive Robert Brewer said the level of participation demonstrated the awards\u2019 continued relevance, despite a challenging economic environment and changing consumer trends.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs drinking habits shift toward lower consumption but higher quality, the spirits sector is well positioned to meet consumer expectations for premium, distinctive drinking experiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Head Judges said the 2026 entries demonstrated increasing precision, technical understanding and confidence among New Zealand distillers, with the strongest products showing originality, balance and attention to detail.<\/p>\n
For the full list of medal winners, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n How to catch up with\u00a0The Shout NZ\u2026<\/p>\n Online,<\/a>\u00a0updated daily with its own unique content and breaking news.
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