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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 14 May 2026
King Island Distillery Wins Five London Awards in a Week — Both Gin and Vodka Honoured at the 2026 Gin Guide and Spirits Guide Awards
Tasmanian island distillery sweeps two independent London awards programs across both spirits — including Best in Australia for the gin and Gold in the Vodka Martini category — as the team heads to Be Spirits Hong Kong, 26–28 May 2026
KING ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – 14 May 2026 — In a remarkable run of independent recognition from London, King Island Distillery Bass Strait has won five major awards in a single week across both its flagship spirits — gin and vodka — at two separate London-judged awards programs.
Both the distillery’s Gidley Pinot Noir Gin and its Waterwitch Vodka have now been individually honoured, with results judged in blind tastings by international panels of spirits experts. The combined haul spans the 2026 Gin Guide Awards (recognised as the world’s largest independent gin awards) and the inaugural 2026 Spirits Guide Awards.
The five awards
• Gidley Pinot Noir Gin: Gold Medal — 2026 Gin Guide Awards
• Gidley Pinot Noir Gin: Best in Australia 2026 — the highest-scoring Australian entry across the 2026 Gin Guide Awards
• Gidley Pinot Noir Gin: Silver Cocktail Award — Negroni category — 2026 Gin Guide Cocktail Awards
• Waterwitch Vodka: Silver Award — Classic Vodka category — 2026 Spirits Guide Awards (inaugural year)
• Waterwitch Vodka: Gold Award — Vodka Martini category — 2026 Spirits Guide Cocktail Awards (inaugural year)
“To win across both gin and vodka in the same week, judged independently in London, tells us something we couldn’t have manufactured ourselves,” said Vaughan O’Connor, Managing Director of King Island Distillery Bass Strait. “When we set out, the brief was simple — make spirits good enough to stand on the world stage, whether neat or in the glass. To have both products now recognised across both formats, by separate panels in separate awards programs, gives us enormous confidence that the King Island approach is producing something genuinely special.”
Both spirits performing neat and in the cocktail glass
The combined recognition is significant because each spirit has been honoured both for its quality on its own merits and for its performance in a flagship cocktail:
• Gidley Pinot Noir Gin: Gold and Best in Australia for the gin itself; Silver in the Negroni — the most demanding test of any gin's versatility behind the bar.
• Waterwitch Vodka: Silver for the classic vodka category; Gold in the Vodka Martini — one of the most exposed and unforgiving cocktail tests for any vodka.
The London results build on a Gold rating from Halliday Wine Companion and Halliday Spirits in Australia late last year, where Gidley Pinot Noir Gin scored equal to the highest-rated Australian gins they have ever reviewed.
Showcasing the portfolio at Be Spirits Hong Kong
King Island Distillery will exhibit Gidley Pinot Noir Gin and Waterwitch Vodkaalongside its broader portfolio at Vinexpo Asia and Be Spirits Hong Kong 2026, held from 26 to 28 May 2026 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as part of the Austrade Australian stand at Level 1, Hall 1C.
The London recognition arrives at a pivotal moment as the distillery presents its award-winning Australian island spirits to importers, distributors, premium retailers, hospitality groups and luxury venues from across Asia.
A distillery shaped by one of the world’s most pristine environments
King Island sits in Bass Strait, between Tasmania and mainland Australia — a remote island shaped by roaring oceans, Antarctic weather systems and what is scientifically recognised as the cleanest air and rainwater in the world. Every bottle the distillery produces carries a little of that island with it.
From day one, the brief for both Gidley Pinot Noir Gin and Waterwitch Vodka was the same: don’t make ordinary spirits. Build something with enough richness, texture, elegance and individuality to stand confidently alongside the best in the world — neat or in a glass. Five London awards inside a week, across both products, reinforces that ambition emphatically.
King Island is already internationally known for exceptional produce — cheese, beef and seafood — and Cape Wickham, one of the world’s acclaimed golf destinations. The distillery extends that island standard into ultra-premium spirits: authentic, rare, beautifully made and deeply connected to place.
The distillery’s first single malt whisky releases are scheduled for 2027.
About King Island Distillery Bass Strait
King Island Distillery Bass Strait is an Australian island spirits producer located on King Island, in Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Born from one of the world’s most remote and pristine island environments — home to the world’s scientifically tested purest air and rainwater — the distillery creates ultra-premium spirits with distinctive provenance, internationally awarded quality and a powerful Australian island identity.
Trade and Media Enquiries
Vaughan O’Connor
Managing Director
King Island Distillery Bass Strait
M: +61 419 355 234
E: vaughan@kingislanddistillery.com.au
W: www.kingislanddistillery.com.au
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