Sensory science put to the test at NZ Spirit Awards

2025 was Professor Hort’s seventh year as an expert panellist for the two-day awards, which judges over 400 local and internationally distilled spirits.

As the head judge for one of the ‘light spirits’ panels, Professor Hort and her fellow experts blind tasted more than 150 different gins and vodkas. The judges were drawn from a wide range of backgrounds including bar owners, liquor retailers and media commentators, however she was the only sensory scientist in the room.

“Over the years, my sensory science expertise has enabled me to support the organisers in ensuring the judging is free from bias, remind judges about factors affecting individual variation in perception and, like other judges, recognise and describe the key sensory attributes that drive gin and vodka quality.”

Professor Hort says judging at the awards is a way of supporting the beverage industry which is a key client of Massey’s Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Laboratory. By applying her sensory expertise and scientific know-how to deciding which spirits should win gold, silver or bronze, she’s also helping consumers make quality product choices.

All the tasting was blind, so even Professor Hort won’t know which gins to recommend until the results are out, but she says the quality seems to get better every year.

“There were some exquisite gins in the ‘contemporary’ gin category, with spicy warm flavours complementing the classic juniper back notes, and there was a coffee ‘flavoured’ gin that really jumped out at me this year!”