Q600 Wins Gold at the Australian International Olive Oil Awards 2026

September 25, 2026

High-polyphenol olive oil is not automatically delicious and at very high levels they can become bitter, astringent and unbalanced. Getting a high polyphenol count for health benefits is difficult on its own... making the oil taste extraordinary as well is another challenge entirely!

We're very proud to announce that Q600 has just been awarded Gold at the Australian International Olive Oil Awards in 2026. This is one of the most rigorous independent assessments of extra virgin olive oil quality in the country.

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Judges Tasting Notes:

"An expressive and complex oil with aromas of green banana, caramel and toffee, complemented by subtle floral, cedar and green almond notes."

"The flavours transfer seamlessly to the palate, showing excellent balance between bitterness and pungency. A lingering chilli warmth enhances the fresh fruit character, delivering a clean, harmonious and persistent finish."

"Complex, balanced, excellent flavour transfer and long persistence."

Blind taste-testing

The Australian International Olive Oil Awards begins before a single judge lifts a glass. Every entry must first pass independent laboratory testing by measuring Free Fatty Acids, Peroxide Value and UV Absorbance to verify it meets authentic extra virgin standards, with any oil that fails the chemistry disqualified before it reaches the sensory panel.

Those that pass are tasted completely blind from plain glass tumblers, identified only by a unique exhibit code, by judges who belong to highly trained professional sensory panels and who never see a commercial label or brand name throughout the evaluation process.

A Gold Medal requires a score of 86 to 91 out of 100 across the three pillars of extra virgin quality — fruitiness, bitterness and pungency — demonstrated in excellent balance and entirely free from defect.

Q600 at 647mg/kg polyphenols earned its result the only way that counts: assessed on merit alone, in a room full of accredited judges who had no idea whose oil they were tasting.

The challenge of creating flavoursome high-polyphenol olive oil

Early harvest timing maximises polyphenol levels but it also means picking the olives before the fruit has fully developed its flavour complexity. The olive varieties we carry were chosen in part because they carry the richest herbaceous and fruity character at early harvest, allowing a flavour foundation at high polyphenol concentrations.

Natural settling rather than mechanical filtering also preserves the oil's natural character alongside protecting the phenolic compounds. The result is an oil that is robust without being harsh. Intense, without being one-dimensional.

That balance is part of the challenge we set ourselves each harvest and this gold medal is an accolade we are proud to announce to the world!