It is not every day that the top bartenders of the country are invited to come together and figure out the best spirit for bars and restaurants in the USA. The Bartender Spirits Awards is set to do just that on May 17, 2021, and you are invited to submit your spirit for judging. 

What’s to be Won? 

• A Double Gold, gold, silver, or bronze award

• Shelf talkers and tasting notes from judges 

• Be part of the Top 100 Spirits Guide

• Grab the attention of consumers at bars and restaurants

• Get in front of on-premise buyers and have your spirit added to their lists and back bars

• Global Digital Awareness All-year-round: These Are City Guides And Social Media Channels In Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco to reach consumers. 

• Medal Stickers For Bottles

• Award Logos And Other Promotional Materials (Available For Download)

• Results To Go To 50,000+ Trade Professionals In The Usa In The Beverage Trade Network Community

• Press Awareness Among Media Partners Of The Bartender Spirits Awards And Will Be Posted On Beverage Trade Network News, Bartenders Business, And Bevroute News

• Entrants to be integrated With Get Drinks Delivered

• Results Are Circulated To 2000+ Spirits Importers And Distributors In USA

Are your spirits up for the challenge? If you feel that the spirit you have created and perfected is up for the competition, then waste no time and enter your spirits to the Bartender Spirits Awards before the submission deadline of April 20, 2021. 

The Bartender Spirits Awards brings together some of the top names in the bartending industry to their judging panel. The judging panel of the Bartender Spirits Awards will consist entirely of top bartenders at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. In order to be selected as a judge, bartenders need to demonstrate their expertise in the on-premise industry. This year’s competition will see names like 

JUYOUNG KANG, Lead Bartender at The Dorsey inside The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, NV

NATASHA MESA, Head Bartender and Bar Manager at Deadshot PDX, Portland, OR

MICHAEL CECCONI, Mixology Instructor, Monday Night Mixology & The Institute of Culinary Education

NICKY BEYRIES, Bar Director at Foreign Cinema, San Francisco and San Francisco Chronicle Bar Star of 2018

JOANNA CARPENTER, Hospitality Consultant. Bartender. Educator.

...And more to judge the competition. They have decades of experience behind them and have made a name for themselves in the bartending and restaurant industry. They are at the helm of some of the most successful establishments in the country. These professionals not only know which spirits are winning in quality but the spirits that consumers will like to order at a bar or restaurant, again and again. They score spirits based on these criteria to ensure that the winning spirits will make a great addition to any any-premise inventory. 

The judging process is a thorough and stringent one. It involves, as a first step, blind tasting of the spirits. Following this, the packaging is revealed and scores are given for value and packaging. The Bartender Spirits Awards differs from other competitions in philosophy in that they believe that although quality is the most important factor, for a spirit to be successful in the market it needs to meet all three factors making the golden triangle of quality, value and packaging. 

In detail, the combination of these factors makes up the final score based on which awards are given. 

M (Mixability Score) + B (Balance and Versatility) + T (Taste, Mouthfeel and Finish) Score) + Package Score (P) + Value Score (V) = Bartenders Spirits Awards Final Score.

These are the medals awarded based on the scores received. 

The most exceptional spirits in each category will also receive a specific award: 

Spirit of the year 

Tequila of the year 

Gin of the year 

Rum of the year

Vodka of the year 

Whiskey of the year

Brandy of the year

The competition will award the best entry by value and packaging too. The best entry from the countries with the maximum entries will win the Best in Show by Country award. 

The top 100 spirits make it to the Top 100 Spirits guide which is shared with leading bartenders, bar managers, and on-premise buyers of the USA. They use it as a reliable source of products to buy for their own bars and restaurants. 

Key dates to note are: 

Submission Ends 

April 20, 2021

Warehouse Closes

April 23, 2021

Don’t miss your chance to compete with the best in class and have your spirits in front of some of the best names in the industry. 

Enter your spirits now.