The Distillery Co. Fiji has secured a landmark double at the 2026 London Spirits Competition, with VulaViti Vodka and Blue Turtle Gin both winning gold and posting the highest scores ever recorded by Fijian spirits in the event’s history. VulaViti Vodka scored an exceptional 93 points out of 100, while Blue Turtle Gin achieved 91 points, the company announced this week.
Chief executive officer and head distiller Paul Clark said the results were unprecedented for Fiji, particularly for a molasses- or cane-based vodka. “For a molasses/cane-based vodka to achieve a score of 93 points is unheard of,” Clark said, noting judges — drawn from respected bars, retailers and distilleries — praised VulaViti for a “complex, creamy palate with tropical fruit, aniseed and subtle spice, finishing long with a velvety, crisp, clean texture.” He added that Blue Turtle’s 91-point Gold was equally notable given the global gin category’s intense competition.
Both spirits are produced entirely in Fiji, the company stressed. The distillery uses local sugarcane grown by Fijian farmers and processed by the Fijian Sugar Corporation; fermentation and distillation take place at The Distillery Co. Fiji’s facility in Pacific Harbour. Clark emphasised the drinks are “not imported spirits dressed up in a Fijian bottle,” saying “every drop of VulaViti Vodka and Blue Turtle Gin begins in a Fijian cane field.”
The Distillery Co. Fiji was established by Paul and his brother Hugh Clark in 2016. The pair produced the distillery’s first bottle in 2020, just before the global COVID-19 shutdowns, and have since worked to scale production and refine their cane-based spirits. Clark said the London awards validate those efforts: “This is not just a win for us but for our farmers, the Fiji Sugar Corporation, and the whole of Fiji itself.”
Clark also linked the achievement to local economic benefits, framing the success as a boost for Fijian farmers and the broader rural economy that supplies the cane. He described the scores as “a testament to our staff, the Fijian Sugar Corporation, and our Fijian farmers,” and called on Fijians to take pride that complex, commercial-scale spirits can be grown, fermented and distilled in the island nation.
The Distillery’s statement also highlighted Clark’s family links to notable figures in Fiji’s past — including botanist Jacob Storck and Sir Hugh Ragg, a figure associated with early tourism and commercial brewing in Fiji — underscoring a local continuity in plant knowledge and commercial beverage production. The London accolades mark a fresh milestone for Fiji’s nascent distilling sector as it seeks international recognition and new markets for home-grown spirits.