Texas Gin Breaks Through: Dietz Distillery’s Five Judges Gin Wins Silver at SFWSC with Dietz Fischer
Texas Gin Breaks Through: Dietz Distillery’s Five Judges Gin Wins Silver at SFWSC
In a year where agave, amaro, and Japanese whisky have dominated West Coast bar programs, one small-batch gin from the Texas Hill Country is making a name for itself—and turning heads far beyond state lines. Five Judges Gin, crafted by Dietz Distillery in Fredericksburg, Texas, just brought home a Silver Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC)—a major moment for a young label quietly doing extraordinary things.
For gin lovers and bartenders in Los Angeles and San Diego, this kind of recognition matters. The SFWSC is the real deal: judged blind by some of the top palates in the industry, it’s where global brands and tiny upstarts go head-to-head—and only the best earn medals. That a relatively new distillery from Central Texas held its own against legacy houses and international heavyweights? That’s worth a closer look.
Dietz Distillery’s Five Judges Gin
At its core, Five Judges is a London dry-style gin, distilled using traditional European methods—but it’s also unmistakably Texan. It leans into citrus from the Rio Grande Valley to brighten up its herbaceous base, adding a warm, zesty lift that SoCal gin fans will recognize and appreciate.
“WE’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN HONORING TRADITION WHILE CAPTURING THE BOLD SPIRIT OF TEXAS,”
DIETZ FISCHER
OWNER AND DISTILLER, DIETZ DISTILLERY“To see our Five Judges Gin recognized on a global stage is a tremendous honor. This award affirms our commitment to slow, intentional distilling and to producing something truly special right here in Fredericksburg.”
The name Five Judges tells a uniquely local story—one rooted in family and legacy. It honors five members of the Wieser family who helped shape the civic and legal framework of the region, their legacy now bottled and distilled into a spirit that carries weight far beyond the farm.
If you’ve spent time tasting through the shelves of places like Barkeeper in Silver Lake or Collins & Coupe in San Diego, you know how hard it is for a new name to break through. But Dietz Distillery isn’t just riding on narrative—there’s serious technique behind it. Fischer trained under Austrian master distiller Markus Wieser and draws on both European precision and Texas terroir. The result is a gin that respects structure but isn’t afraid to get wild with flavor.
Though the distillery only opened in 2021, it’s already earned a reputation among Texas spirits insiders for its small-batch approach. Alongside the gin, Dietz also produces fruit brandies made with farm-grown stone fruit—peaches, plums, and pears—that feel like a nod to California eaux-de-vie, but with a bold Hill Country edge.
For now, Five Judges Gin is only available at the tasting room in Fredericksburg. But if you’re the type who plans road trips around spirits destinations—or just loves discovering the next under-the-radar bottle before it hits a Venice Beach backbar—this one deserves a spot on your radar.
At a time when SoCal bartenders are increasingly looking beyond the coasts for fresh inspiration, Five Judges feels like the kind of gin that could quietly slip into a Martinez, shine in a Southside, or stand solo on a cube. It’s thoughtful, layered, and proudly off the beaten path.
