With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits. These entities, while recognizing that individual palates are unique and a great deal of subjectivity enters into any assessment, generally use expert panels and blind tastings within a given category to create meaningful and objective ratings. All of these competitions are non-competitive and all are pay to enter, so only products that have paid an entrance fee will be judged. Although gold, silver and bronze awards are offered, there are no limits as to how many of each may be awarded. Most tastings striving for objective results follow a similar format:
Experts typically begin by assessing a given spirit based upon its "appearance" and "nose", its aroma. It will often be held up to light in clear glass to examine its color and "legs" while sniffing for other flavor "notes". Second, experts will taste the spirit and let it wash over the palate searching for more "notes" or flavors and often comment about different foods or scents that it evokes. Third, experts will swallow and examine the taste sensations for a "second life" or aftertaste, again searching for more flavor notes.
Major rating organizations
There are numerous liquor, spirits, beer and wine competitions.
SIP Awards
The SIP Awards, based in Newport Beach, California, was founded in 2009. They use a panel of consumer judges to elect the top winners. In 2019, SIP Awards had a record highs of 977 entrants and 146 consumer judges. The competition is open to any commercial spirit or applicable mixers professionally produced that comply with their classification codes.
The Beverage Testing Institute is based in Chicago, US, and founded in 1981 with its initial focus on wine but later branching into spirits and beer. They use a dedicated tasting laboratory in order to create consistent results and minimize external distractions. Each periodic tasting is conducted at the same time of day under identical conditions. The panelists are selected from the professional world of restaurants and publications under the leadership of director Jerald O'Kennard. Not all spirits are given a rating. Those of sufficient merit are awarded a point score between 80 and 100.
The International Whisky Competition rates whiskies from around the world based on quality. These are blind tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel using 15 different criteria. These criteria produce tasting notes along with aroma and flavor profiles. Since 2015, it uses a 100-point scoring system designed by Sebastien Gavillet, an adaptation from the wine industry rating system.
Founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue. Blue is the current director of both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the San Francisco InternationalWine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually with "blind" tastings involving panels of expert judges selected each year from the spirits industry including mixologists, spirits buyers, and media from across the United States. Producers must submit their product for the competition and pay a fee for its evaluation. Not all entries are given awards but most receive a bronze, silver, or gold award from the tasting panel. The fact that most entrants receive an award likely involves some degree of self-selection, as the spirits producers choose whether to enter each of their brands in the competition and pay to receive a rating. Those entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the distinction of a "double-gold" medal. Additionally, a "best in show" designation is awarded in each main category of spirits.
Wine Enthusiast
publishes a magazine and other media to promote the appreciation of both wines and spirits. It is headquartered in New York and founded in 1979. Currently, spirits reviews are provided by F. Paul Pacult, who does tastings in a controlled environment. Results are given a point score.
80–84: Average
85–89: Very Good / Recommended
90–95: Superb / Highly Recommended
96–100: Classic / Highest Recommendation
World-Spirits Award
The World-Spirits Award was founded in 2004 by Wolfram Ortner in Austria. Annually it assesses hundreds of entrants from more than 30 countries. Members of the jury are industry experts and experienced judges primary from Austria and Germany. Not all spirits are given a rating, though in 2018 over 75% of entrants received a rating of "gold" or better. Only the highest rated spirits of sufficient merit receive medals. World-Spirits Award rankings are based upon a 71 to 100 "WOB-Points" rating scale.
95.3–100 Points = DOUBLE-GOLD: World Class, Superlative
90–95 Points = GOLD: Superb
80–89 Points = SILVER: Very Good
71–79 Points = BRONZE: Average
Blue's Reviews
Anthony Dias Blue, founder of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, offers his own set of personal reviews known as "Blue Reviews". He offers scores based upon an 80–100 point scale.
Newer rating organizations
Los Angeles International Wine, Spirits, Beer, and Olive Oil Competition: this competition was initially for wine only and founded in 1939. In 2007, it began receiving entries for spirits. It also rates beer and olive oil. Awards are provided for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In 2009, there were 199 entries with 179 awarded medals. in 2015, it received 365 entries, and gave out 407 rewards.
