What an amazing night it was at the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards.
More than 400 guests celebrated the achievements of the Australian drinks industry on Thursday, August 22, at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, in Sydney.
The Drinks Association - together with Advantage Australia - presented supplier awards including Supplier of the Year, the Supply Chain Management Award and Most Improved Supplier of the Year.
The Contribution to Industry category recognised achievements in gender equity, diversity and inclusion and corporate social responsibility.
The top 200 brands in each category - based on industry scan data - were automatically entered in the brand awards, which included Fan Favourite, Gaining in Popularity and Most Distinctive Brand. All three categories celebrated success in beer, cider, wine, spirits and RTDs and were judged via a Thrive Research survey of 4000 consumers.
The result was an exciting mix of old and new, icons and innovators, large and small players.
“Congratulations to all the winners,” said The Drinks Association CEO Georgia Lennon. “It was a wonderful night celebrating another year filled with exciting innovations and achievements. It’s inspiring to watch our industry evolve to meet the dynamic pace of business and the constant changes in consumer behaviour.
“I am particularly proud of the initiatives being undertaken by our member companies in the area of corporate social responsibility, gender and D&I. There were so many deserving submissions for these awards – choosing just one winner for each trophy was a difficult but rewarding task for our judges!”
Here are all the winners:
SUPPLIER AWARDS
Supplier of the Year: Lion
Most Improved Supplier: Taylors Wines & Bacardi-Martini
Supply Chain Management: Lion
CONTRIBUTION TO INDUSTRY AWARDS
Corporate Social Responsibility: Diageo (sponsored by Endeavour Drinks)
Gender Equity: Pernod Ricard Winemakers (sponsored by Coles Liquor)
Inclusive and Diverse Workplace: Diageo (sponsored by Coles Liquor)
BRAND AWARDS
Fan favourite: Beer
Classic - Victoria Bitter
Contemporary - Great Northern
Premium - Corona Extra
Craft - James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale
Gaining in popularity: Beer
Classic - XXXX Gold
Contemporary - Great Northern
Premium - Furphy
Craft - Young Henrys
Most Distinctive: Beer
Classic - Victoria Bitter
Contemporary - Iron Jack
Premium - Guinness
Craft - Balter Brewing XPA
Fan favourite: cider
Somersby
Gaining in Popularity: cider
Somersby
Most Distinctive:cider
Rekorderlig
Fan Favourite: RTD
Light - Vodka Cruiser
Dark - Jim Beam Bourbon & Cola
Gaining in Popularity: RTD
Dark: Canadian Club & Dry
Light: Gordon's Pink Gin & Soda
Most Distinctive: RTD
Dark: Untold
Light: Absolut Botanik
Fan Favourite: Spirits
Dark: Jack Daniel's
Light: Smirnoff
Apertif/Liqueur: Bailey's
Gaining Popularity: spirits
Dark: Yamazaki
Light: Patron
Apertif/Liqueur: Aperol
Most Distinctive: spirits
Dark: The Kraken
Light: Crystal Head
Apertif/Liqueur: Fireball
Fan Favourite: wine
White: Jacob's Creek
Red: Penfolds
Rose: Jacob's Creek
Sparkling: Moet & Chandon
Gaining in popularity: wine
White: Bird in Hand
Red: 19 Crimes
Rose: Squealing Pig
Sparkling: Tempus Two
Most Distinctive: wine
White: Shaw + Smith
Red: 19 Crimes
Rose: De Bortoli
Sparkling: Dom Perignon
Thank you to our sponsors
Our Award Partners for the 2019 Australian Drinks Awards were Advantage, IRI, ALM, GS1, BevChain, Manildra, Coles Liquor and Endeavour Group.