IN THE
spirit OF winning The trophy winners of the NZ Spirits Awards 2021 have been revealed at a glamorous gala in Auckland. Who took out the big awards and what’s next for the Kiwi spirits industry? The Shout NZ Editor Charlotte Cowan was there on the night…
NZ Spirits Awards trophy winners
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he trophy winners of the third annual New Zealand Spirits Awards were revealed at a glamorous gala at the Hilton in Auckland late last month. Of the 14 category trophies on offer, New Zealand spirits producers took home nine. Two trophies were presented in six of the seven categories – Trophy for Best New Zealand in Category and Trophy for Best Overall in Category. Sue James, Chairperson of Distilled Spirits Aotearoa – which presented 12 THE SHOUT NZ – JULY 2021
the awards alongside Spirits New Zealand – says the winning spirits in this year’s awards had a combination of appearance, aroma, palate, balance, finish, intensity, complexity and flavour character. “Everything is packed together in harmony,” she says. James says the trophy winners all scored well above the rest of the competition. “The decisions of the judges were pretty much unanimous,” she told The Shout NZ. “The winners were clearly leaders in their categories, delighting the judges.”
Judged in May by 20 industry experts, including The Shout NZ contributors Cameron Douglas MS and Tash McGill, the NZ Spirits Awards received a record 344 entries this year and 313 medals were awarded to local and international spirits, including 10 Double Golds. Robert Brewer, Chief Executive of Spirits New Zealand – who was sadly unable to attend the awards presentation due to Wellington’s Alert Level 2 announcement – says the awards are all about acknowledgement of excellence.
