The awards says that it has seen the number of international entries more than double from 13 to 30 entries since 2018. Similarly, entries also increased from 74 to 80 in the local gin category in 2019.

The panel of judges comprised:
  • Louis Janse van Rensburg (aka The Bearded Gin Guy)
  • Msizi James (5FM radio presenter)
  • Amanda du Pont (actress, model and TV presenter)
  • Tiso Blackstar's magazine supplement publisher Aspasia Karras
The panel decided which four products in each category would be shortlisted for public tasting.

The finalists in the International Gin category include:
  • Beefeater (James Burrough Ltd)
  • Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin (The Shed Distillery)
  • No 3 London Dry Gin (Berry Bros & Rudd)
  • Roku Japanese Gin (Osaka Distillery)
The finalists in the Local Gin category are:
  • Geometric Gin (Geometric Drinks)
  • Ginifer Joburg Dry Gin (Angel Heart Distillery)
  • Monks Mysterium (Monks Distillery)
  • The Prospector (Unit 34 Distilling Company)
The shortlisted finalists will be showcased at blind-tasting events, which will be held at the following Makro stores on Saturday, 26 October. Customers are invited to come taste and vote for their favourites:
  • Woodmead Makro
  • Strubensvalley Makro
  • Silver Lakes Makro
  • Cornubia Makro
  • Montague Gardens Makro
The winner in each category will be awarded a winner's trophy, along with R250 000 worth of advertising space in the Sunday Times, ST Lifestyle, and Sowetan —reaching more than 2.1 million South African readers. All the finalists will be invited to an awards event that will be held in Cape Town on Friday, 8 November.

For more information, visit www.tisoblackstarevents.co.za.