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KING ISLAND, AUSTRALIA – 8 May 2026 — More news from London overnight. Following yesterday’s Gold Medal result at the 2026 Gin Guide Awards, King Island Distillery Bass Strait has now been informed that its Gidley Pinot Noir Ginhas also been awarded Best in Australia 2026 — meaning it achieved the highest score of all Australian entries in this year’s awards, recognised as the world’s largest independent gin awards.
The Best in Australia title elevates the King Island–made gin from a Gold Medal recipient to the top-ranked Australian gin in the 2026 awards — a category-leading distinction judged independently in London.
“When we created this product, the ambition was simple,” said Vaughan O’Connor, Managing Director of King Island Distillery Bass Strait. “Don’t make another ordinary gin. Make something with enough texture, richness, elegance and individuality that it could stand on the world stage without compromise. To now see a product from remote King Island recognised this way in London is a big moment for our distillery and for everyone backing what we are building.”
The London result builds on independent recognition awarded late last year by Halliday Wine Companion and Halliday Spirits in Australia, who scored Gidley Pinot Noir Gin a Gold rating equal to the highest-rated Australian gins they have ever reviewed.
Showcasing the gin at Be Spirits Hong Kong
King Island Distillery will exhibit Gidley Pinot Noir Gin alongside its broader portfolio at Vinexpo Asia and Be Spirits Hong Kong 2026 thanks to Austrade and the Australian Distillers Association, held from 26 to 28 May 2026 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Best in Australia distinction 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.
Be Spirits is the dedicated platform within Vinexpo Asia for spirits, beer, cider, sake, mixology and innovation — designed to connect premium spirits brands with influential buyers across Greater China, North Asia and the wider Asian market. Trade visitors are warmly invited to taste Gidley Pinot Noir Gin and the wider King Island range at the distillery’s stand.
A gin 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, Gidley Pinot Noir Gin was never designed to be ordinary. It was built to deliver richness, texture, elegance and individuality, and to stand confidently alongside the best gins in the world. Naming it Best in Australia at the 2026 Gin Guide Awards 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. Gidley Pinot Noir Gin 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
