As the deadline looms for submissions for the SOCraft Awards 2025 – the second season of these craft spirit awards – we explore some global perspectives on the Asian bar and craft spirit scenes offered up by four of last year’s award-winning distilleries: Cambodia’s Seekers Spirits, Maya Pistola, from India, Scotland’s Isle of Raasay, and Bass & Flinders, Australia.
The Spirit of Craft Awards, known as the SOCraft Awards, opened early-bird submissions on February 1st, 2025, with the last call on March 31st. The competition spotlights boundary-pushing distillers across Asia and beyond. And this year, the organizers will reveal the winners on May 19th. Unlike traditional spirit competitions, SOCraft specifically celebrates the handcrafted approach, distinctive flavor profiles, and passionate producers who are transforming Asia’s spirits landscape.
The award-winning bottles will take center stage at Singapore’s craft spirit festival in November 2025, offering distillers valuable exposure to enthusiasts, industry insiders, and potential distributors. Last year’s inaugural competition showcased everything from Indian agave spirits to Cambodian botanical gins, proving that Asia’s craft spirits scene is bubbling with innovation. With the artisanal movement gaining momentum across the region, this year’s competition promises to uncover even more hidden gems from traditional distilling regions and unexpected corners alike.
A Look Back To SOCraft 2024
Asia’s first craft spirits awards celebrated 43 exceptional spirits last year. Scotland’s Isle of Raasay Single Malt achieved the highest honor with 3 Stars and a Green Ring for sustainability, while Australia’s Bass & Flinders impressed with both Monsoon and Orient Gins earning stars and green recognition. Cambodia’s Seekers Spirits showcased local botanicals with their 2-Star Mekong Coffee Liqueur and butterfly pea-infused Jason Kong Gin, while India’s Maya Pistola broke new ground with its Deccan Plateau-sourced agave spirits earning multiple 2-Star awards. From Scottish whisky to Indian agave spirits, from Cambodian coffee liqueur to Australian gins with Asian influences, these winners exemplify the global craft movement through an Asian lens.
“Asia’s craft spirits scene…offers something distinctive”
“Asia’s craft spirits scene is still in the process of breaking into global markets, but what it offers is something distinctive,” explains Tania Unsworth, Co-Founder of Cambodia’s Seekers Independent Spirits. The distillery’s Mekong Dry Gin and Jason Kong Butterfly Gin showcase the region’s botanical wealth in bottles that are as elegant as they are authentic.
Their approach resonates with a global shift. No longer content with standard international offerings, bartenders and consumers alike crave spirits with personality and provenance. Asia delivers both in spades.
Just ask Radhika Dhariwal, whose Maya Pistola Agavepura is boldly going where no Asian spirit has gone before—creating India’s first premium aged agave spirit from wild plants growing in the Deccan plateau.
“Asian craft liquor producers are creating high-quality, home-grown alternatives to well-known liquor brands,” Dhariwal notes with unmistakable pride. “These new artisanal brands offer small batch production, and each has its own original story.”
SOCraft And The Recognition Ripple Effect
For Scotland’s Isle of Raasay Distillery, SOCraft has been a gateway to Asian markets typically dominated by established whisky titans. “The positive reception of this award has helped build awareness with consumers,” shares Allison Renfrew, Head of Marketing. “Awards like this really grab people’s interest to try and explore new brands.”
This validation proves especially valuable in Asia’s competitive landscape. Holly Klintworth, MD and Head Distiller at Australia’s Bass and Flinders Distillery, puts it succinctly: “Since the first SOCraft, it has been a great talking point for us with prospective bars and customers to showcase how well received our spirits were by judges.”
Shifting Palates, Evolving Markets
What’s driving this cross-continental spirits romance? Young, adventurous consumers. Digital-savvy drinkers. And bartenders who are hungry for narrative-rich ingredients.
The craft gin movement has firmly arrived in Asia,” observes Renfrew. “Countries like India, Vietnam, South Korea, and Taiwan have seen an increase in craft gin production, with distilleries experimenting with native botanicals like lemongrass, jackfruit, pandan, and Sichuan pepper.”
These indigenous ingredients aren’t just creating distinctive flavor profiles – they’re reshaping cocktail menus worldwide and challenging Western dominance in premium spirits.
Some Hard-Earned Wisdom
For craft producers eyeing Asian expansion, our distillers offer candid advice forged through experience. “Asia is not a single, homogenous market—it’s a complex mix of cultures, drinking preferences, and regulatory environments,” cautions Unsworth. “What works in Singapore may not work in Cambodia or Japan.”
Dhariwal emphasizes the credibility hurdle: “When pitching a new brand to people in the industry, especially in the bar scene, the biggest obstacle one faces is that of legitimacy. People in the industry take time to trust brands.”
Perhaps Klintworth puts it most eloquently: “Take the time to understand the local palate, invest in meaningful relationships with bartenders, and be ready to adapt your storytelling to resonate with Asia’s discerning, experience-driven drinkers.”
SOCraft And The Spirit Of Things To Come
As these four distilleries — spanning three continents — demonstrate, craft spirits are speaking a new, more inclusive global language. Asia isn’t just participating in this conversation; it’s increasingly setting the agenda.
From the wild agaves of India to the windswept shores of Raasay, from the Mekong’s botanicals to Australia’s coastal influences, the SOCraft Awards spotlight a world where craft transcends borders. Yet each expression remains deeply rooted in place, telling stories that couldn’t originate anywhere else.
Spirited competition? Absolutely. But also spirited collaboration across a rapidly shrinking world — one perfectly balanced drink at a time. The Spirit of Craft Awards continue to recognize excellence and innovation in craft spirits across Asia and beyond.
Submissions for this year’s awards close on March 31st. For more information on entering or last year’s winners, visit their website.
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