Juno Gin’s Jo James to judge New Zealand Spirit Awards

Jo James from Juno Gin is one of the judhes at this year's New Zealand Spirit Awards. Photo/ Supplied

Juno Gin’s co-founder Jo James will put her skills to the test when she judges the New Zealand Spirit Awards.

The awards, now in its fifth year, has had an increase of entries each year.

The top spirits in each category are recognised with bronze, silver, gold and double-gold medals judged by panels of industry experts.

The highest-scoring spirits are recognised with trophies awarded for Best New Zealand and Best Overall in each category.

Jo says she is pleased to be a part of the judging panel for the second year in a row.

“I am particularly humbled to be asked to judge. It’s the chance to be amongst a diverse team of people who are passionate about growing our industry. I love exploring taste and aroma, using my senses to understand what the distiller is bringing to the category. But the true test of a good spirit is whether you would enjoy a second glass.”

The judging will happen over four days in May, with winners announced at a gala dinner in June.

Juno Gin will enter the Contemporary and Classic Gin categories.