“It’s never been a tougher market than we are in currently.

“This has been the toughest year we have seen since when Covid first hit … so it is really awesome to grab [these medals],” he said.

“It does help the brand and helps reward our distillers, and gives us that little bit of extra push to keep going and to continue being one of the more innovative companies in its space.”

He said it was “huge for us” and put them in contention for a special awards night in August, where gold medal-winning spirits vie for best in category trophies.

The company has won three of those trophies over the years.

The National Distillery Company distils and sells gin, vodka, rum and liqueur and is in the process of adding brandy to its catalogue.

Nicholl said while the market was tough at present because of an economic downturn, and his team was down to seven staff, the company was getting through by working hard.

“[It’s the] old school mentality of work a bit harder and push through, which has got us to where we are.”

Nicholl said there are ambitions to continue to expand the business, which currently sells its spirits in New Zealand and the United States.

A 10% tariff has added a challenge for its US sales.

The company wants to expand into Asia around late 2026 or early 2027 and is looking for investors as part of its expansion plans.

The company has also been awarded an Excellence Award from Tripadvisor, for ranking among the top 10% of businesses in the world to visit based on reviews.