We’re excited to share an early update as we begin shaping the future of spirits awards in South Australia. The Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia (RA&HS) and the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) have partnered to bring the Royal Australian Spirits Awards and Tasting Australia Spirit Awards into a unified program. The Royal Adelaide Spirit Awards Presented by Tasting Australia While plans are still in the early stages, the opportunity to create a single, elevated competition that recognises excellence in distilling is incredibly exciting. By combining the strengths of both programs, we see strong potential to deliver something truly impactful for industry, producers and audiences alike. This year will be a period of collaboration, ideas and careful planning in anticipation of the awards taking place in April 2027. There is much to look forward to, and we are excited to share more as plans progress. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
2026 KEY DATES
ENTRIES OPEN
TBC
PRODUCT DELIVERY
TBC
JUDGING
TBC
AWARDS PRESENTATION
TBC
Please note, these dates can be subject to change
ABOUT RASA
Recognising the success of Australia’s ever-growing craft spirits industry, the Royal Australian Spirit Awards (RASA) are open to distillers from across Australia and New Zealand, and features classes for brandy, gin, rum, vodka, whisky and other spirits. Medals will be up for grabs in approximately 20 individual classes, and trophies will be presented for Champion Whisky, Vodka, Rum, Gin, Brandy and Other Spirits. Major awards will be presented for Champion Spirit of Show and Champion Small Batch.
JUDGING PROCESS
Exhibits are judged in a blind tasting from both a technical and consumer appreciation perspective, taking into consideration the spirit's appearance, aroma, flavour and overall impression.
A gold medal will be awarded to exhibits that score 17 points and over, a silver medal to exhibits that score 15.5 to 16.9 points and a bronze medal to exhibits that score 14 to 15.4 points.
A trophy will be awarded to the exhibit with the highest points. A Trophy may be awarded to the highest pointing silver medal winning exhibit if a gold is not awarded for that class.
