This year was one of the most hotly contested years for spirits and liqueur, with some fierce competition. The judges were Dr. Anriënka Vlok, spirits expert from Distell, Danielle Schoeman who is a distiller, and Josh Hendricks, a spirits expert often contracted to Diageo International to taste spirits. During the tasting, these judges did not confer, and were all locked in their own cubicle, but the correlation between their tasting data was spot on. We are indeed lucky to have had these expert judges this year. The spirit entries were dominated by gin, as expected, followed by rum.

The gins entered this year were wonderful in their diversity. Although London Dry gin is known for its dry and balanced flavour profile, with juniper being the dominant note, some of the London Dry gins had more prominent notes of citrus, floral or herbal botanicals.

The new style gins exhibited an intricate bouquet of aromas, with layers of botanicals intertwining to create a sensory journey. A number of gins demonstrated a velvety texture, perhaps attributed to the innovative distillation processes employed. Tasters noted a departure from juniper-forward profiles, with some gins emphasizing unique botanicals, resulting in unexpected yet delightful flavour combinations.

The flavoured gins captured the essence of their chosen flavouring agents, presenting a harmonious balance between the gin’s original character and the infused elements. The versatility of these gins shone through, as they held the potential to be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or as a key component in cocktails. The tasters were intrigued by the diversity within this category, ranging from subtly infused gins to those with boldly pronounced flavour profiles.

We asked the panellist what they though the most innovative gin producers were doing well, and they said besides the use of good ingredients and balance in their spirits, they focussed on innovative packaging and clever ways to serve gin.

Some of the best gins tasted were the Tahlia Farm Cactus Leave Gin from Tahlia farm and African Craft Boabab Handcrafted Premium Gin from Select Beverage Company.

The rums were from a range of ageing periods, up to four years, mostly aged in charred barrels, resulting in a richer, caramelized flavour profile with notes of toffee, chocolate, and spices.

We asked the panel what they thought would improve the image of rum, and the overwhelming feeling was that producers should perhaps aim at producing lighter style rums, produce less spiced rums, and promote premium cocktails, steering away from rum and coke.

The best rum tasted was the Mooka Rum from Earthbound Distillery.

The Liqueurs varied a lot in style and quality, and there were some excellent examples. The liqueur that scored the highest was the Cannameister from L’Atelier Distillery.