Quality refers to the overall taste, flavor, and aroma of the spirit. Value refers to the relative pricing of the spirit vs. other peers. And packaging refers to the overall brand presentation of the spirit, with an emphasis on how well the spirit appeals to a specific customer segment. In order to receive a medal in the competition, a spirit needed to score at least 70 points as part of a total weighted score.
“This innovative scoring system has been instrumental in identifying world-class spirits that consumers actually want to drink. We’ve broadened the definition of drinkability, in order to reflect how spirit drinkers actually choose which spirits they buy at a retail store or order from a restaurant menu,” said Sid Patel, founder of the event.
The USA Spirits Ratings competition was launched in late 2017 by Beverage Trade Network, which organizes alcohol beverage industry events all over the world. Judges for the competition were drawn from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, specialist retailers, and casual/fine dining establishments.