Brass Lion Distillery wins IWSC 2025 International Gin Producer Trophy

In a culture built on rojak - the beautiful mix of unlikely ingredients - one of Singapore's first gin distilleries has claimed the IWSC International Gin Producer Trophy. 

What does it mean to distil an identity? For Amy Koh at Brass Lion Distillery, it means capturing the rojak essence of Singapore - that wonderful cultural mix where Chinese traditions meet Indian spice, Malay herbs mingle with Peranakan cooking, and colonial history sits alongside ancestral knowledge. Their IWSC 2025 International Gin Producer Trophy win validates this approach. 

Founded when Singapore had no gin to call its own, Brass Lion draws inspiration from markets and TCM shops, childhood snacks and hawker stalls. Their botanicals tell Singaporean stories: torch ginger flower in their Singapore Dry Gin, hawthorn berries replacing traditional sloe, butterfly pea adding colour and heritage. Each expression distils memory into liquid. 

Judge Olivier Ward recognised their consistent excellence: "Each time Brass Lion has entered, they've always got Gold or Gold Outstanding... they have that kind of proven calibre." More significantly, he positioned them at gin's cutting edge: "They're representing what I think is the most exciting forefront of gin right now - Asian gin with much more provenance and authenticity." 

Innovation extends beyond botanicals. Their Made with Nature's Leftovers range transforms surplus strawberries into premium gin, whilst partnerships with EcoSpirits prevent thousands of bottles reaching landfill annually. Even their byproducts find new purpose - leftover hawthorn becomes fruit roll-ups, spent osmanthus tea becomes cookies. 

The trophy coincides with cultural reclamation. In 2025, Brass Lion became the official gin of the Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel - completing a century-long circle where the national cocktail, invented in 1915, finally features Singaporean gin made by a women-led local distillery. 

Congratulations to Brass Lion Distillery.