Not that you need an excuse to pour yourself a crisp, refreshing G&T, but O’Gin by Kangaroo Island Spirits has just won Best Contemporary Gin in the World at the 2019 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

The South Australian distillery is owned and run by Jon and Sarah Lark, with Jon’s brother Bill the owner of Lark Distillery in Tasmania.

Inspired by the Kangaroo Island landscape, the gin’s character is significantly influenced by the infusion of the coastal daisy bush, a flowering shrub that is endemic to the area. The plant is both piney and sweet, with notes of tropical fruits that are said to marry well with the gin’s bold juniper flavours.

Instead of the usual black pepper, O’Gin uses two Asian peppers, the long pepper, a sweeter, Indian spice which is reminiscent of garam masala, and cubeb, a Javanese pepper which tastes of allspice.  These spicy notes are balanced out with the sweet vanilla aromas of tonka bean and South Australian orange.

The gin is best enjoyed Mediterranean-style, in a copa glass with tonic and garnished with mandarin, cumquat, coastal daisy bush or rosemary, or used in a negroni, finished with a scoop of blood orange sorbet.

It’s not the first major award for the Kangaroo Island distillery. This year alone, O’Gin has gone on to win Double Gold at the SIP Awards, Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Best in Show and Best in Class at the Australian Gin Distillers Association. Yep, sounds like it might be worth a try.

O’Gin is priced at $89 for a 700ml bottle. For more details or to buy, head to kispirits.com.au.