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A gin created to pay homage to Geelong has beaten more than 60 gins from the UK, USA, Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil and Mexico to be voted best in the world.

Australian Distilling Co.’s Geelong Gin won the overall Best of Class – Platinum Award at the recent 2024 international SIP Awards, the only annual global spirits competition that enlists anonymous consumers as judges and, as such, is regarded as the best and most competitive gin awards in the world.

Geelong Gin out-tasted gins from some of the world’s greatest gin brands and distilleries, including Highclere Castle, Brockman’s, No. 3 London Dry Gin and Eden Mill St Andrew’s in the UK, Martin Miller’s in the US, and Archie Rose in Australia.

This is the second time a gin from the Australian Distilling Co. has won the prestigious Best of Class - Platinum Award, with its Adelaide Gin winning big in 2022.

“With Geelong Gin joining our Adelaide Gin as winners of the world’s best gin, we are proud to be recognised as Makers of the World’s Best Gin and Australia’s Most Awarded Distillery with more than 300 global awards,” said company founder Michael Hickinbotham whose father and grandparents were born in Geelong.

“Given my family’s roots and connections to Geelong, I’m thrilled our gin dedicated to this fantastic city and region has been recognised as the best in the world.” His great-grandfather David was a pivotal player in the Geelong Cats premiership sides in the 1880s and Michael said he enlisted the help of the late Frank Costa, former Geelong Football Club president, when designing Geelong Gin’s label. “I presented five short-listed designs for the label to Frank, a legend of Geelong, and he took great delight in choosing the final one. Frank was a great friend to my father and my family, so having that connection is nice.”

Geelong Gin is one of eight city spirits, four destination spirits and six national spirits in the Australian Distilling Co.’s portfolio that each pay homage to their name. “We have a footprint of distilleries in every mainland state, and our range is proudly parochial,” Michael Hickinbotham said.

Each of Australian Distilling Co.’s gins champions local ingredients and iconic locations to ensure every spirit truly tastes of the community that inspired it.

Geelong Gin Tasting Notes:

A classic dry gin that drinks well with tonic water or a simple basil garnish, Geelong Gin’s juniper base is complemented with subtle overtones of raspberry sweetness to balance its peppermint gum and black pepper flavours.