Headlands Distilling has returned from the London Spirits Competition with six gold medals, reinforcing its reputation as a world-class distillery based in Wollongong.
Award-Winning Spirits
The local distillery earned top honours for its Seacliff Vodka, Illawarra Plum Whisky, Single Cask PX Whisky, Muscat Cask Whisky, Single Cask Oloroso Whisky, and Mt and Sea Gin.
Dean Martelozzo of Headlands Distilling said the team was proud to put Wollongong on the international map. He emphasised the importance of authenticity, describing the distillery's grain-to-glass philosophy as central to its operations.
Commitment to Authenticity
Martelozzo explained that for their Spanish sherry cask collection, they imported authentic casks from Spain rather than using local substitutes. The term sherry has geographical naming rights, meaning only wine produced in the Andalusia region of Spain can legally be called sherry. In Australia, similar products are often labelled as Apera.
We imported a full shipping container with three different types of authentic Spanish sherry casks, Martelozzo said. As a result, we released three whiskies at the end of last year as a Spanish collection to celebrate our 10-year anniversary.
Validation and Future Plans
The gold medals were incredibly validating for Martelozzo and his team. These awards give us the confidence to keep pushing boundaries, he said. We are proving that Australian whisky can compete with and stand apart from the best in the world.
Headlands Distilling continues to innovate, with plans to expand its range and maintain its commitment to quality and authenticity.
