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Drinking the Best Spirits in the World

Now when you go to a bar, why not drink the best spirits in the world as attested by the leading bartenders in the country.

Whether it is unwinding with a bunch of friends after a long week of work, capping off a sumptuous meal with the best liqueur, or celebrating a birthday with a shot or two of your favorite tequila, drinking is a social experience that we crave. Even toasting to your team’s victory, bagging a big project at work or other achievements give us an excuse to celebrate sharing a drink or two with our friends.  

At a time when the offerings of spirits are expanding exponentially, in not only the number of brands but the variations and varieties out there, choosing a spirit or brand to drink can be onerous. Rather than try something new, sometimes we feel overwhelmed from all the options and stick to the known and comfortable. When the choice becomes difficult, it is a good idea to refer to the experts. At the Bartender Spirits Awards, the most renowned names in the U.S bar industry, all of them with extensive expertise within the on-premise industry come together to rate spirits from around the world.  

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The annual awards aim to bring the best of the world’s spirits to the shores of America and to add to the excellence of the American bar and restaurant scene. Here’s how it’s done. 

Get a taste of the best spirits per industry experts

While it is easy to develop a taste of your favorite brand as you sip on it from time to time,  what about those times when you are in the mood to try something new at a bar that is your second home. What about the time when you want to introduce your novice drinker friend to a spirit brand that will show them what they are missing out on. At such times your expertise in selecting the best drink available at the bar comes in handy. Don’t fret, we have just the thing to help you out. 

The annual Bartender Spirits Awards results are your friend during this time. Why? These award-winning spirits are the ones that are hand-picked from a plethora of entrants by judges who are bartenders, bar managers and buyers for the on-premise industry. These spirits are picked keeping in mind their use for a bartender, bar managers, bar owners in helping their consumers enjoy the best possible drinking experience at their establishment. 

Bartenders are the real influencers of the drinks industry. They shape the preferences of the consumers, their passion for drinks being a guiding force behind the drinking habits of many. Usually, these will be the bartenders from your favorite bars, restaurants to visit. The Bartender Spirits Awards takes this to a national level. The judges are experts with the know-how of the American drinks culture and trends with a knack for creating the most perfect concoctions and drinks menus everywhere they go. 

The judges at this year's edition include Natasha Mesa- Head Bartender and Bar Manager at Deadshot PDX, Adam 'Boots' Brogan- Bar Manager at Louie's Bar and Owner of The Bootsy Company, Courtney Bunn- Director of Beverage at The Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott, LA. Consisting entirely of top bartenders at U.S restaurants, bar and clubs. They come with years of experience behind them and lend their expertise to help get new spirits on the menu of multiple restaurants and bars across the country. 

Uplifting your drinking experience one double-gold at a time

The focus of the judging process at Bartender Spirits Awards is to help the drinking community find a great spirit to drink on different occasions, ranging from celebrations to a casual hangout with a bunch of friends. To simplify our selection process the award-winners are separated into categories of medals, type of spirits and country of origin too. The most magnificent spirits are given a double-gold medal, an honor bestowed upon those scoring 96 points or over. The ones from 90 to 96 are given golds with a silver (80-89) and bronze (70-79) following them. 

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A comprehensive process of judging is used to determine the standing of each spirit. While the consumers always have the pleasure of looking at the packaging and the appearance of the spirits before making the choice, the spirits at the awards are all tasted blind to have an independent and honest review of the quality of each. Through blind tasting, the spirits are judged on their mixability, balance and taste. All of these factors help judges in determining the drinkability of each spirit. Upon finishing rating on these criteria, the judges rate the spirit’s value and packaging too. 

While the judging process will help establishments identify what spirits brands will be the perfect fit for their bar menu or help plug a specific gap, it comes with its advantages for those on the buying side of the table. It helps identify spirits that stand up to all the points of debate a consumer can have during a drinking expedition. It covers everything from start to finish, how a bottle looks, how and if it has been priced correctly and how it tastes. 

Enriching your global drinking experience

The global drinks industry is booming, with the well-established spirit producing countries facing stiff competition from the new breed of countries creating an array of wonderful drinks. Whether it’s rum, whiskey or canned cocktails and liqueurs, brands globally are releasing spirits worth drinking to the market. What the Bartender Spirits Awards does for the American audience is that it brings the best of these global spirits producers under one umbrella. From gin producing heavyweights like the UK, whiskey giants like Germany, perennial tequila producers Mexico to the relative newbies like India, Australia, Sweden and the Philippines to name a few, BSA has a presence to pick from the best of the lot. 

This adds a great variety of American and global drinks to the bar and restaurant shelves across the country. In a way, it helps satiate the need to indulge and know the drinks from a different country. The Bartenders Spirits Awards helps add to the growing global culture in the American drinks industry. 

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