Australia’s best drams crowned at Melbourne Royal Spirits Awards

Although no whisky maker claimed a Champion Distiller trophy, three whisky Best in Class trophies were awarded alongside the list of gold medal winners.

Out of 112 entries, the title of Best Australian Single Malt went to Tapestry by Fleurieu Distillery, a $185 ex-Bourbon barrel and Apera barrique limited-edition. 

Co-owner and Head Distiller Gareth Andrews said: “Tapestry is a whisky built on balance and restraint. Rather than chasing boldness for its own sake, we focus on allowing carefully crafted spirit, thoughtful cask selection and our unique maritime climate to work together to create complexity, elegance and a whisky that continues to reveal something new with every glass."

Impressively, Fleurieu also received a second of the three whisky trophies, with Bird, a collaborative release made in partnership with Bird in Hand Winery, named Best Blended Malt out of eight entries.

“To be recognised by Melbourne Royal is a tremendous honour, particularly amongst such a strong field of Australian spirits,” continued Andrews. “Awards like these are wonderful encouragement for our small family team and demonstrate that world-class single malt whisky can come from regional South Australia."

Archie Rose Rye Malt was awarded Best Grain Whisky and a Consistency of Excellence Award

The final Best Whisky in Class was Archie Rose Rye Malt, named Best Grain Whisky out of 33 entries, alongside a Consistency of Excellence Award after demonstrating exceptional quality over multiple years.

Master Distiller Dave Withers describes the awards as the “ultimate validation” of the team’s dedication to its craft. 

“The Archie Rose distilling landscape has evolved dramatically over the years, with producers making better spirits than ever, so to consistently win Best Grain Whisky for our Rye Malt Whisky is a massive honour,” he said. “For our team, it proves that the painstaking effort, obsessing over every detail, and hard graft makes a difference. It gives everyone from the distillers to blenders a huge sense of pride, and it fuels our fire to keep pushing the boundaries of quality even further.” 

Lark Mizunara Oak Rare Cask (Batch 4) is available at an RRP of $1,000

Another impressive whisky performance from Melbourne Royal was Lark Distillery, which claimed four of the 20 whisky Gold Medals. 

This was across the breadth of its range and includes two three of the four whiskies in its new Signature collection, No.294 Ember Eclipse, No.285 Ruby Abyss, and No.183 Devil's Storm - Gold, along with Mizunara Oak Rare Cask (Batch 4). 

Lark Master Distiller Chris Thomson said: “Four Gold Medals at the Australian International Spirits Awards means a lot, because this is home turf, judged by people who know Australian spirits better than anyone. To have both taste and design recognised, from the Mizunara Oak Rare Cask through to Ember Eclipse, Ruby Abyss and Devil's Storm, tells us the work we're doing across the whole range is landing. It's a great result for the team.”

The full list of winners from the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards can be viewed here.