A Victorian whiskey has been crowned Australia’s best at a prestigious international awards ceremony.
The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey won gold at the 2024 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and was crowned Australia’s highest scoring whiskey across all categories for the second year in a row.
Not only that, it has also been crowned the second highest rated whiskey in the world.
Among the international selection, the $95 bottle tied for second place with Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey, a “rare” spirit that sells for a staggering $1,200.
The whiskey was described as “divine” with a “long, sweet and satisfying” flavor along with a “hint of mint that complements the indulgent chocolate tones.”
The Gospel’s Straight Rye Whiskey won gold at the 2024 International Wine and 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 tied for second place with the Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey, a “rare” spirit that sells for a staggering $1,200.
“Perfumed and wonderfully spicy on the nose, full of pleasant and powerful aromas of rye spices with a deep licorice floating through it,” the jury statement said.
“Dry and layered, with well-defined flavors of cognac, green tea and menthol that add complexity to the palate.”
The Gospel co-founder Andrew Fitzgerald was proud to take home the award.
“Gospel Whiskey has a mission – to bring the distinctive taste of Mallee-grown rye to the world and continued success like this on the world stage really helps support that mission,” he said.
‘We’ve spent years defining The Gospel’s unique style of whiskey to craft something distinctly Australian and expressive of where we source the grain from. We don’t claim to taste the same as other whiskeys or fit in with the crowd; It’s unique to us and I think the IWSC judges appreciated the 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 oldest spirits competitions, with over 250 specialist judges from around the world coming together to score and review over 4,100 entries from 98 countries.