A pre-production sample of its gin won bronze in the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London in 2006 but in 2016 the producer has gone one better, being named a silver winner at the 2016 Melbourne International Spirits Competition.

Strait managing director Philip Ridyard said it was the first time in a decade he had entered a spirit in a competition.

“I decided a decade later we needed to benchmark the gin and see where we sit, it’s a great feeling to know that 10 years later we still have an award winning product,” he said.

Mr Ridyard said Strait Brands gin was the first small batch premium gin on the Australian market but since its launch in 2006 the national market has seen an explosion of similar products.

He said after the success in Melbourne, he was hoping to enter some of the other Strait Brands products, such as the sloe gin and the recently produced hazelnut gin into similar competitions.

“The most important thing from this win is the fact that the dry gin is the basis for our sloe and hazelnut gins,” Mr Ridyard said.

The competition judged the best of the best national and international spirits.

Strait Brands sloe gin is currently the most popular product in the Strait line-up but Mr Ridyard said he thought after the win he may see a swing towards the dry gin product.

He said it was important the company cement themselves as a viable and cost-effective alternative to the more traditional labels.

A research and development facility in Launceston will assist in this process.

“We are looking into a few different products, there are plenty of opportunities to expand local partnerships, like the one we have developed with Tamar Valley Hazelnuts.

Tamar Valley Hazelnuts provide Strait Brands with the hazelnuts it uses in its hazelnut-infused gin.

Mr Ridyard said other partnerships and products were in the pipeline but did not want to divulge further.

One of the problems the brand will need to face in the coming months is how to improve the volume it producers, especially as the brand garners interest on the international stage. “This win [at Melbourne] gives us the opportunity to extend our distribution but only if we know we can produce the volume,” Mr Ridyard said.

The dry gin was the only product entered in the Melbourne competitions but Mr Ridyard said he would look at entering other products into other competitions over the next 12 months.

The Melbourne International Spirits Competition was judged throughout July. Winners were contacted early August. For a list of all the winners from the competition go to its website.