Aussie spirits are something to sniff at

Sniffing, swirling, swilling, spitting - all in a day's work for a judge at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards.

In an Australian first, the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria has launched a new awards program that is designed to recognise the country's emerging spirits industry.

There's a heady mix of gin and whiskey in the air as the judges silently swill on the best of Australian whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, brandy and liqueurs.

But the swilling quickly turns to spitting, because these aren't your average punters - they're professionals.

There are 12 high white tables and the judges move through a selection of numbered glasses, judging each on nose, palate, finish and balance.

But unlike the nose on a glass of wine, the spirits tend to singe the nostrils with their fiery, smokey or spicy notes.

Head Judge Nick Stock said the awards let producers know how they fare against their competition.

"We give really extensive feedback, much more than would happen in wine judging," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"The Australian spirits industry is at a really embryonic stage; we want to point producers in the right direction."

All tasting is anonymous and none of the drinks is compared with each other; instead all are given points out of 100 based on their own individual merits.

The hottest category is whiskey, which is "the pinot noir of the spirit world", and tends to produce fanaticism among the judges.

The results of the judging will be finalised in the coming days and announced at an awards presentation in Melbourne on March 5.