The Aisling Distillery's Riverina Rum won the gold medal and the best rum trophy at the Tasting Australia Spirit Awards.

At the same competition, the Preimhe Shiraz Baraille single malt whisky was awarded a bronze medal.

The Tasting Australia awards were just the start of the medal haul by the distillery.

At the 2021 London Spirits Competition Aisling Distillery brought home silvers for their Dry Gin Murrumbidgee, Classic Dry Pepper Berry and Triple Juniper gins, silver for the Heritage Collection Tawny cask single malt whisky and bronze for the Heritage Collection Apera cask single malt.

At the Melbourne Royal Australia Distilled Spirits Awards both the Riverina Rum and Preimhe Shiraz Baraille single malt whisky won silver medals.

Director Michelle Burns said COVID-19 had loomed large for many businesses but the outstanding results had helped put the distillery and NSW rum on the map.

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Mrs Burns said the Riverina Rum had been aged in shiraz barrels from Griffith.

"It doesn't have that sweetness that other rums have, it still has a rum nose but it's picked up tanins from the cask and has some spicier notes," she said.

"It's been really popular."

Injecting a local connection to Griffith through using shiraz wine barrels or oranges was one way which helped to distinguish the distillery's products.

Mrs Burns said it was a nice accolade to knock Queensland off its perch.

While many Griffith residents are more familiar with Aisling's gins which are stocked in restaurants, clubs and hotels around town, Mrs Burns said the real passion was in distilling whisky.

The first whisky barrels were laid down in 2016, Mrs Burns said the distillery's single malts now after a few years sitting aging in barrels they were really developing incredible flavours.

She said the next release of whisky was from Heaven's Hill Kentucky bourbon casks in the next few weeks and it would lead the distillery's entry into awards competitions for this year.

Mrs Burns said waiting for the whisky to be ready for release was one of the hardest parts of the job.

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