General News
4 March, 2026
Liquid gold
BABINDA Springs has put the town on the world map with a sensational win for its bottled water at a prestigious international tasting competition.
Judges at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting annual event in West Virginia, US – often called the ‘Academy Awards of Water’ – awarded Babinda Springs the gold medal for the world’s best bottled non-carbonated water.
Babinda Springs, a previous bronze medal winner, pipped out top five competitors from Canada, South Africa, the United States and Italy to take the prize.
“We know we have the best water in the world and to have this recognised on an international level is a huge honour,” Babinda Springs business development
manager Maddie Burrows told The Observer.
“Our water was judged blindly by a panel of experts on clarity, aroma, mouthfeel and – most importantly – its clean, refreshing taste,” she said.
This year the longest-running water tasting competition in the world saw more than 100 entries from five continents. “The event proves valuable for bottled waters both carbonated and still,” the event’s organisers said at the event.
“Waters use a win in Berkeley Springs for bragging rights and often redesign their labels to include the gold, silver or bronze medal. Over a dozen entrants in the 2026 contest sported a medal decorated label.”
Babinda Springs general manager Mark Schierhuber said the company has “never doubted the purity and quality of our water products and to be recognised as gold medal winners amongst our international peers makes for a very significant achievement for our local team of passionate employees.”
He said Babinda Springs was known around Australia, and now the world too, for its pristine water. “Situated directly above nature’s pristine water source, surrounded by tropical rainforests and having an abundance of rainfall makes Babinda Springs uniquely positioned to take what nature has provided, and to bottle our products directly at the source,” he said.
“As general manager of the business, I could not be more proud of this achievement.”
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