$95 Aussie whiskey does the unthinkable

A $95 Victorian drop has been named the joint second-highest scoring Rye Whiskey in the world — beaten only by a $2,400 18-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye.

A $95 Victorian drop has been named the joint second-highest scoring Rye Whiskey in the world — beaten only by a $2,400 18-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye.

The Gospel distillery won a Gold medal at the prestigious 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) and, for the second consecutive year, is Australia’s highest-scoring whiskey across all categories.

In the global rye whiskey category, The Gospel’s Straight Rye Whiskey ($95) tied equal second with the Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey (96 points) – a rare whiskey that retails in Australia for upwards of $1,200.

The only rye whiskey to outscore The Gospel Straight Rye was the Sazerac 18-Year-Old

Kentucky Straight Rye at 98 points, which is found on some Australian liquor store shelves for upwards of $2,400.

“The Gospel Whiskey has one mission – to take the distinct taste of Mallee grown rye to the world and continued success like this on the world stage really helps to endorse that mission,” The Gospel’s Co-Founder Andrew Fitzgerald said.

The gold-medal-winning drop, The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey ($95).

The drop came second only to a rare $2,500 rye.

“We’ve spent years defining The Gospel’s unique style of whiskey to craft something distinctly Australian and expressive to the site we source the grain from. We’re not aiming to taste like other whiskeys or fit in with the crowd – it’s unique to us, and I think the judges at the IWSC appreciated its difference.”

The judges said of The Gospel’s Straight Rye Whiskey: “Perfumed and wonderfully peppery on the nose, full of pleasing, punchy rye spice aromas with deep licorice tumbling through. Dry and remarkably layered, with well-defined flavours of cognac, green tea, and menthol adding complexity on the palate.

“The finish is long, sweet, and satisfying with a refreshing hint of mint complementing indulgent chocolatey tones. Devine!”

The IWSC is one of the world’s biggest and longest-running spirits competitions. Producers of the world’s wines and spirits have entered the competition for over 50 years, with more than 250 specialist judges from all over the world coming together to score and review more than 4100 entries from 98 countries.

Originally published as $95 Aussie whiskey does the unthinkable