Geelong’s Anther Distillery pioneers Australia’s Agave spirit revolution, announced as finalists in Australian Distillers Association Industry Awards

They're featured as a finalist in the Innovation Award category at the national awards.

Anther Distillery has once again put Geelong on the national spirits map, earning a finalist spot in the Innovation category at the 2026 Australian Distillers Association Industry Awards.

The nomination recognises more than a decade of curiosity, experimentation and collaboration, with founder and distiller Dr Dervilla McGowan helping pioneer Australia’s emerging agave spirits category from the ground up.

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Over the past seven years, McGowan has immersed herself in understanding how Australian-grown agave performs under local conditions, conducting extensive trials across cooking, fermentation, distillation and filtration. Working alongside The Australian Agave Project and researchers from the University of Adelaide, her research has contributed to the development of production frameworks tailored specifically to Australian agave spirits.

Rather than looking overseas for a blueprint, McGowan took a distinctly local approach.

“To preserve the unique Australian terroir and flavour, I actively avoided researching Mexican production processes and instead allowed the character of our agave to drive the recipe,” she said.

That philosophy has helped shape a category that is uniquely Australian. McGowan’s research directly informed the design and construction of Australia’s first dedicated farm-to-bottle agave distillery in Queensland, while years of fermentation trials explored how different yeast strains and conditions could influence flavour, texture and maturation.

The results were first brought to life through Anther’s acclaimed Act of Treason Australian Agave Spirit range. Both the Blanco and Reposado expressions have attracted national and international recognition, collecting a string of gold medals and champion trophies at some of the world’s most respected spirits competitions.

Innovation remains firmly at the heart of the distillery’s work. More recently, Anther has partnered with Beudi Agave to conduct new fermentation trials combining locally grown agave with imported syrup, using bespoke microorganism combinations to create highly specific flavour profiles and textures. The collaboration is also set to deliver a dedicated agave distillery, scheduled to open in 2027.

For McGowan and the Anther team, the Australian Distillers Association nomination represents recognition not only for a successful product, but for years of research and experimentation aimed at creating an entirely new chapter in Australian distilling.

Winners of the 2026 Australian Distillers Association Industry Awards will be announced during the Gala Awards Dinner on 18 June as part of the association’s annual conference in Adelaide. Here’s hoping Anther come out on top!

To view the award finalists and categories, head here.