It is available direct from the company via their designated internet retailer Woods Wholesale Wine. In its 20th year, a record-breaking 3,000 global entries were featured, tasted, and judged. Yes! Our judging panels are made up of the most respected, experienced experts in the industry. This year the awards were held at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco from April 1-20 and featured a record 3,500 . . What do you learn when youre out there touching base with brand folks so closely? These included six Irish whiskies, two Japanese whiskies, three Canadian whiskies and three whiskies in the world category. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the vodka as: Sweet and smooth with a pronounced palate weight. everything: increased press coverage, increased awareness, increased distribution, AND increased sales. Best In Show Aged White Spirit Best Of Class Overall Rum Best of Class Extra-Aged Rum. Stephen Beal, Senior Judge (Emeritus) giving instructions before the final vote at the 2023 SFWSC. Extremely high. Sweet and spicy on the palate with tropical and stone fruit notes, a touch of pepperiness, and a bit of anise/licorice. A perfect addition to a hot chocolate. The Best Peruvian Pisco is Intipalka, Mosto Verde Torontel, 42% ABV. A total of 70 judges drawn from all over the world evaluated approximately 5,000 spirits over two weeks in April 2022. We want to make it very engaging. . More dried fruit on the palate, along with caramel and some wood spice followed by a long, sweet, fruity finish. A total of 70 judges from around the world evaluated approximately 5,000 spirits over two weeks in April 2022. The vodka carries a list price of $30, an exceptional price for what was judged as the worlds best vodka but is difficult to find outside of Michigan. On the palate a pronounced caviar flavor. Its always had a stellar reputation thanks to the integrity of its judging. Were giving access to the brands to the consumers that they otherwise might not have. Some of the bourbon finalists at the 2022 SFWSC. Find out how Bourbon stacked up and which brands took home top honors. "The award, for a small new distillery such as ours, changed Two Japanese whiskies vied for the Best of Class Japanese Whisky: Mars, Komagatake 2021 Edition Whisky (Nagano) 48% ABV, 750 ml and Kanosuke, 2021 First Edition Single Malt (Kagoshima) 58% ABV, 750 ml. Here are a few of the judges' favorite American whiskeys. Kavalan is one of only a handful of distillers that produce whisky in a tropical environment. The results are in. "Its like the Grammys of the spirits world. Consumers will get to go to masterclasses and learn more about the brands. . Australia is becoming a significant producer of world-class whiskies and accumulating an impressive array of gold medals in international competitions. San Francisco World Spirits Competition: The Bad Stuff Gets Gold The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 as a way to recognize exceptional products in the spirits industry. #nationalcoquitoday #rum #sfwc This is a BETA experience. On the nose, its creamy, with a hint of caramel and a bit of anise. The World's Best Whiskies: 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition . Some of the rum finalists in the final "Sweeps" round of the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits [+] Competition. Winning a Double Gold medal at any . SAN FRANCISCO, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The San Francisco World Spirits Competition announces results of their 20th anniversary judging, held on March 13th . In the specialty spirit categories, the Best of Show Liqueur and Best Fruit Liqueur is Choya Umeshu, Extra Years, 17% ABV. Its sweet on the palate with lingering caramel and molasses notes on the finish. Courtesy of @wholetogethernow The whiskey is produced at the Buffalo Trace distillery as is W. L Weller. Oh, nice. The Best Herbals/Botanicals Liqueurs is Spiritopia, Ginger Liqueur, 26% ABV. Mad March Hare is one of Irelands top Poitin brands and is a consistent medalist in international spirit competitions. . Syrups, bitters, bar tools, glassware, and garnishes are the rest of the equation. . The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has just wrapped up its 2023 judging, announcing the category winners at the Top Shelf Awards Gala at Resorts World in Las Vegas. The brand is owned by Lux Row Distillers. Carlos is a bartender and entrepreneur with a degree in Business Economics, the former Monkey Shoulder Brand Ambassador for Latin America and current founder and owner of Tres Monos in Buenos Aires. And at some point, youll walk into an event like Top Shelf and well have enough female master blenders or female distillers that its just how it is and theres true parity in representation, and youll say, You dont need to bring that up anymore.. This is a rich, mellow rum that offers incredible complexity and nuance with flavors ranging from caramel and maple syrup to a broad array of tropical and stone fruits, along with distinctive notes of tropical spices and seasoned, well-integrated wood. The Laws, Bonded Four Grain Bourbon shows vanilla and tropical fruits on the nose. If you're looking for the best rum, gin, vodka, tequila, mezcal, and whiskey of 2023, look no further. All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Slightly over 2 months since announcing compared to the first 4 full months of the year!. The Best in Class Flavored Vodka was Glen Pharmer Distillery Ghost Vodka. The Best Aperitif is Contratto Liqueur, Aperitif, 16% ABV, while the Best Absinthe is Neeley Family Distillery, Fear and Loathing in Kentucky, 60.1% ABV. Amazing! San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022 - Crystal Head Vodka Bitter liqueur? You mentioned masterclasses, what else can we look forward to? The competition is organized by the Tasting Alliance, an organization founded by Anthony Dias Blue, and in addition to the SFWSC includes spirit competitions in New York and Singapore and wine competitions in San Francisco and New York. We found cocktail heaven! Chase Distillery in Great Britain has a thing or two to say about winning medals in our competition. Weve received significant interest from around the world in hosting and helping to organize additional competitions. While Tumugi, New Oak Cask Storage, 43% ABV, a Koji fermented beverage, was Best Other White Spirit. Laws Whiskey, Bonded Four Grain Bourbon, 50% ABV and Ezra Brooks, Old Ezra, 7 YO Bourbon. A total of 22 vodkas won the coveted Double Gold medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). In extending her thanks to her staff and the hundreds of beverage companies that submitted the record number of entries, Amanda Blue, President of The Tasting Alliance, the parent company of the SFWSC, as well as other international competitions in the spirits, wine, beer, and RTD sectors, remarked: I want to thank our outstanding staff and the fantastic work effort in pulling together the judging of 6,000 odd entries this year. The Best Whiskeys of 2021 Have Been Announced - Men's Journal Meet Carlos Aguinsky, SFWSC Ambassador for Argentina. San Francisco World Spirits Competition announces 2020 Winners! Hell, I judge several of these things and I can't deny that. The Kavalan Podium offers up flavors of tropical fruit notes on the nose, along with hints of licorice and dried fruit on the palate. Syrups, bitters, bar tools, glassware, and garnishes are the rest of the equation. Hitting 5,000 entrants for the SFWSC marked a milestone in what has been an amazing year for us. The Redbreast 12 YO is similar but spicier. We're giving away a bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey and Black Sheep Blanco Tequila, both great for sipping on neat and in cocktails. The warm temperatures tend to facilitate rapid extraction of flavor elements from the cask wood, resulting in a rich, flavorful whisky, although sometimes this results in whiskies that are slightly unbalanced. At the forefront of bringing the consumer into the fold at spirits competitions is Amanda Blue the owner/CEO of the Tasting Alliance, which puts on the famed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, amongst others (disclosure: Im a head judge at those spirits competitions). After the US, Mexico had the most entries, a testament to the booming market for Tequila in the US and the rapid proliferation of Tequila brands and craft producers in Mexico. Showing off this beautiful pic by our gold medal winner @reyka_vodka. This competition has become about the relationships with the brands. The Small Batch and Single Barrel Bourbon judging is the heart of the bourbon category. The only finalist in Best of Class White Rum was Cotton & Reed, White Rum from Washington DC. Well have a snow cone cart with Shinola for sweet desserty cocktails. Pronounced vegetative notes on the nose with a distinctive green bean aroma. When I was in Pro Wine, we walked 30,000 steps a day, just meeting brands, talking about what they want, how they want to break into the American market, whats important for them, what their process is, what their story is, and just meeting them in person, which is so much more impactful than just sending out an email blast saying, Hey, were open.. Carlos is a bartender and entrepreneur with a degree in Business Economics, the former Monkey Shoulder Brand Ambassador for Latin America and current founder and owner of Tres Monos in Buenos Aires. It's that time of year the San Francisco World Spirits Competition results are in! Next year we will also launch a new competition covering beer. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. There is a distinctive sweet caramel note on the palate, along with dried fruit. The Best Baiju is Emeishan Longchi Baijiu, Longchi Jinding, 52% ABV. This is a very flavorful rum that exhibits: Pronounced chocolate and spicy notes on the nose with a hint of coffee. The Judging Panel described it as having: A noticeable pepper/capsaicin note on the nose. Simple Vodka (Idaho) was the highest-rated potato vodka. There is a pronounced caramel flavor on the palate, along with dried fruit notes and some pepperiness. The Best Alambic Brandy is Germain Robin, California Alembic Brandy XO, 40% ABV. The SFWSC Judging Panel described Ramsbury Vodka as: Clean, neutral, with pronounced citric notes on the nose. This is a true grain to glass producer that has also been a consistent medal winner in international competitions. To have been recognised with so many awards at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition is a fantastic achievement for Loch Lomond Whiskies. And its really just about creating genuine relationships with those brands. Poitin has become quite trendy of late and a favorite of mixologists who have been experimenting with it in a range of cocktails. Unpack your tuxedo and elevated glassware, because it's . The SFWSC Judging Panel described the Renegade Rum as exhibiting: Herbaceous and vegetative on the nose, with minerally and hints of tropical fruit notes. The SFWSC Judging Panel described Ginny Pig, Botanic Gin as exhibiting: Pronounced juniper notes and citrus notes on the nose. A complete listing of all the medal winners at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition is available on the Tasting Alliance website. On the palate, its exceptionally smooth, with sweet, stone and tropical fruit flavors, along with cinnamon and pepper notes. You may opt-out by. What have you seen change that gives you hope for the industrys growth when it comes to people? The competition is organized by the Tasting Alliance, an organization founded by Anthony Dias Blue, and in addition to the SFWSC includes spirit competitions in New York and Singapore and wine competitions in San Francisco and New York. The event combined elements of a consumer show, where enthusiasts could taste many top-rated spirits from the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) and, on the evening of June 17 . The 7 'Best In Class' Bourbons From The 2021 World Spirits Competition The gin is produced at the New Hope Distillery in Estonia. ", Bert Tito Beveridge, Founder of Titos Vodka in a 2013 Forbes Article. How do you feel the atmosphere has changed around spirit competitions over the last few years? First, we built a consumer-facing website where people could shop for the winners of our competitions through our collaboration with ReserveBar. Its about marketing for them year-round, not just the one-month post-competition. It shows elements of a classic wet stone minerality, along with licorice on the nose. Their origins ranged from Tasmania to Latvia, with the bulk originating in the United States. Ezra Brooks is a historic producer of Kentucky bourbon. The competition is organized by the Tasting Alliance, an organization founded by Anthony Dias Blue, and in addition to the SFWSC includes spirit competitions in New York and Singapore and wine competitions in San Francisco and New York.