A Victorian whiskey has been crowned Australia’s best at a prestigious international awards ceremony.
The Gospel’s Straight Rye Whiskey won gold at the 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) and was crowned Australia’s highest scoring whiskey across all categories for the second year in a row.
Not only that, but it has also been crowned the second highest grossing whiskey in the world.
Among the international selection, the $95 bottle tied for second with the Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey – a “rare” spirit that retails for a whopping $1,200.
The whiskey was described as ‘divine’ with a ‘long, sweet and satisfying’ taste, along with a ‘hint of mint to complement delicious chocolate notes’.
The Gospel’s Straight Rye Whiskey won gold at the 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) and was crowned Australia’s highest scoring whiskey across all categories for the second year in a row.
The $95 whiskey also came in second place, behind the Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey – a “rare” spirit that retails for a whopping $1,200.
“Perfumed and wonderfully peppery in the nose, full of pleasant, spicy aromas of rye spices through which deep licorice tumbles,” was the jury’s statement.
‘Dry and remarkably layered, with well-defined flavors of cognac, green tea and menthol that add complexity to the taste.’
The Gospel co-founder Andrew Fitzgerald was proud to take home the award.
“The Gospel Whiskey has one mission: to bring the distinct flavor of Mallee-grown rye to the world and continued success like this on the world stage really helps further that mission,” he said.
“We’ve spent years defining The Gospel’s unique whiskey style to create something distinctly Australian and expressive for where we source the grain. Our intention is not to taste like other whiskeys or to suit the public. It is unique to us and I think the IWSC judges appreciated its difference.”
In addition to the gold medal, The Gospel’s Legacy Rye and The Gospel’s High Wheat Rye each won a silver medal.
The IWSC is one of the world’s largest and longest-running spirits competitions, with more than 250 specialist judges from around the world coming together to score and judge more than 4,100 entries from 98 countries.