What’s happening?
Sunshine Coast-based Nil Desperandum Rum has taken out top honours at the 2025 Royal Queensland Awards (RQA) Distilled Spirits Competition, supported by King Street.
The distillery’s flagship release, The Vintner’s Barrel, was named Grand Champion Distilled Spirit, officially crowned as Australia’s best rum. It also earned three other major titles, including Champion Rum / Cane Spirit, The Star Brisbane Best Queensland Distilled Spirit, and King Street Best Queensland Distillery.
Why it matters
This recognition signals a growing presence of Queensland in Australia’s premium spirits industry. Chief Judge Dave Withers said, “The Vintner’s Barrel is an excellent expression of rum, showcasing a seamless integration of nose and palate.”
“It combines remarkable complexity and balance, a truly effortless and fantastic example of what Australian rum can be.”
The awards celebrate the best in Australian distilling and serve as a benchmarking opportunity for producers across the country.
Local Impact
Nil Desperandum’s win reflects both craft and community. Founder and Chief Imagineer Matt Hobson said, “We work hand in hand with farmers and sugar mills to source our raw ingredients – Queensland sugarcane and molasses – and our rum is wild fermented and sub-tropically barrel aged to showcase our beautiful Sunshine Coast terroir.”
“To have industry experts judge that our rum is just as incredible as we think it is – we’re absolutely thrilled.”
Hobson also highlighted the challenge and value of their organic certification.
“It’s also certified organic, incredibly difficult to achieve but an important attribute to elevate our rums among the world’s best.”
By the numbers:
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The Vintner’s Barrel won 4 champion titles, including Australia’s best spirit
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The 2025 RQA attracted 116 entries from across Australia
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36 distilleries competed in the competition
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Judging was conducted over 2 days by a panel of 7 expert judges
Zoom In
The Vintner’s Barrel is crafted using wild fermentation and aged in sub-tropical conditions. The rum is made exclusively from Queensland-grown sugarcane and molasses. Its organic certification places it among a small group of premium spirits that meet strict production standards.
Zoom Out
Chief Judge Dave Withers led the expert judging panel, which included Adam Chapman, Sarah Andrews, David Fisher, Fred Siggins, and Aruni Vaswani. Withers has previously been awarded Gin Distiller of the Year at the Icons of Gin Awards and Master Distiller of the Year twice at the Spirits Business Awards.
“We saw so much creativity, so much innovation, and so many novel flavours and approaches,” he said. “The quality of entries was fantastic – especially those that took out the champion trophies.”
What to look for next?
With the Royal Queensland Awards now in their second year, more distilleries are expected to aim for the same level of excellence. The spotlight is on Queensland to continue leading the way in crafting high-quality spirits recognised on the national stage.
