Western Australia’s Banks and Bloom Distillery + Lab has been awarded Double Gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) for its Banks & Bloom Ice Vodka.

The prestigious SFWSC is the largest international spirits competition in the United States. With two decades of experience, the SFWSC has become one of the most respected competitions in the world. Judging is blind and done by a prestigious panel of nationally recognised distilled spirits judges, each selected for their distinct and trusted palate.

Double Gold medals are only awarded when every judge at the table gives a spirit a gold medal.

As Uproxx describes it: “Winning a Double Gold medal at any spirits competition definitely makes a big impact. It means your product stood out amongst its peers and found fans among some truly seasoned tasters. When that competition is as highly regarded as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, (SFWSC) it’s kind of like being nominated for a liquor Oscar.”

The Ice Vodka product is unique in the world of spirits – the result of years of research and development to perfect a proprietary cold vacuum distillation technique.

It is the first vodka to win a Double Gold for a cold vacuum distilled spirit, capping an exciting first 10 months of production for the distillery.

Executive Director and Biochemist Elaine Darby said: “To have been recognised at such a prestigious level in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition is an honour to us all here at Banks and Bloom Distillery + Lab.

“As a small West Australian distillery in our first year of operation, utilising an innovative ‘cold distillation’ technique and rare Australian botanicals, we are thrilled that our Premium Ice Vodka has been recognised with a Double Gold. We see this as validation that concepts that began in our laboratory are now being recognised by an internationally respected judging panel and shared with the world of spirits.”

Managing Director Trent Carroll added: “To win Double Gold in our first year of operation is something we feel incredibly proud of and it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. We have a line-up of exciting new products in our R&D drinks lab, new spirits under development in our cold vacuum distillery, and most excitedly we are nearing the launch of our THC extract technology that will revolutionise the cannabis drinks market overseas.”

The Banks and Bloom distillation process is designed to preserve the purity of the flavours of the native ingredients, which include river mint, wattle seed, boonjie tamarind, Davidson plum, saltbush, karkalla and desert lime.

A uniquely West Australian product, the idea and flavour profile for the Banks and Bloom Ice Vodka was devised while sitting in a boat off the coast of Little Parakeet Bay on Rottnest Island.

The vodka is distilled via an innovative proprietary ‘cold’ distillation technique using blood lime, saltbush and samphire botanicals. Distilled at cold temperatures under vacuum, which gently preserves the most delicate compounds usually lost in the heat of traditional distilling techniques, the result is a craft spirit with subtle citrus notes, underlying vanilla aroma, a sweet and supple palate with caramel and almond nuance, and complemented with a clean crisp finish.

Banks and Bloom Vodka + Soda and Gin + Soda are now available to purchase at leading independent Western Australian bottle shops, with its online shop due to launch shortly also at banksandbloom.com

Australia triumphs at San Francisco World Spirits Competition