San Diego Spirits Festival International Spirits Competition Announces the Winning Brands

The 2019 San Diego Spirits Festival International Spirits Competition had one of the toughest fields to date with great entries from both the USA and internationally, all spirits were judged on their individual merits and attributes.

The 2019 bottle judging competition was well supported with over 228 from craft distilleries, American merchant bottlers, and large familiar labels. Brands were divided into respective categories as determined by spirit type or style, including whiskey, bourbon, rum, gin, vodka, and flavored vodka. Judges were divided into panels and participated in blind tastings of the spirits, using their knowledge and expertise to analyze and scrutinize the participants’ aromas and flavors.
All samples were covered and tasted in the NEAT glass which has been designed to dissipate alcohol and magnify aromas, the NEAT glass is the official judging and tasting glass of the San Diego Spirits Festival International Competition All tastings were held blind, and the integrity of the competition was safe guarded by sample preparation in a restricted room away from the judging area, with strict adherence to a single specific category for each flight.

The integrity of San Diego Spirits Festival International Spirits Competition starts with the quality and expertise of the Esteemed Judges, who have a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds and this facilitates a true, and unbiased quality of judging process.

“The quality of spirits entered this year was exceptional” said George Manska inventor of the NEAT tasting Glass and the official Advisory Council for the San Diego Spirits Festival. In total, 138 Medals were awarded across all categories; 2 Best in Show: 16 Double Gold; 12 Gold; 48 Silver; 44 Bronze: and 16 Design. Absolutely no automatic awards were given. Every medal awarded was won against a field of competitors, and stood on its own individual merits.

Catan Pisco Pietro Gallo Estate Grappa de Prosecco were both named as Best in Show and Double Gold Medalist at the 11th Annual San Diego Spirits Festival. Hailed as one of the "top cocktail festivals in the United States". The San Diego Spirits Festival's Bottle Competition was held on August 10 at the Bristol Hotel San Diego.
The winning brands were announced at the 11th Annual San Diego Spirits Festival which was held on August 24-25 at the Port Pavilion Broadway Pier and brought together industry insiders and cocktail consumers for a weekend of community, discovery and education.
"The festival's goal is to bring cocktail and culinary enthusiasts together over spirits we already know and love while introducing what's new and exciting in the industry," explains San Diego Spirits Festival founder Liz Edwards.

1. Catan Pisco Reserve Pisco - Best in Show Double Gold
2. Pietro Gallo Estate Grappa de Prosecco - Best in Show Double Gold
3. Tierra Sagrada Extra Anejo Tequila Best in Show Gold

DOUBLE GOLD
1. Legends Vodka
2. Lemay Vodka
3. Panther City Distillery Hell’s Half Acre Vodka
4. Dark Door Spirits Spirit of Prohibition Barreled Gin
5. Cierto Private Collection Blanco Tequila
6. Adictivo Plata Tequila
7. Catan Pisco Reserve Pisco
8. Pietro Gallo Estate Grappa de Prosecco
9. Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon Whiskey
10. Lohin McKinnon Niagara Single Malt Whiskey
11. Central City Brewers Sparrow Rum
12. Blue Marble Cocktails Screwdriver
13. Cafe Agave Espresso
14. Crater Lake Spirits Rock & Rye
15. Taste of Florida Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
16. Parker’s Hangover Tonic Bloody Mary Mix

GOLD
1. Tom of Finland Organic Vodka
2. Broken Shed Vodka
3. Tequila Dinastia Real Blanco Tequila
4. Tierra Sagrada Extra Anejo Tequila
5. Adictivo Black Label Extra Anejo Tequila
6. Cierto Private Collection Reposado Tequila
7. Courvoisier Sherry Cask Finish Cognac
8. Kamiki Sakura Cask Blended Malt Whisky Japanese Whisky
9. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Tennessee Whiskey
10. Rossville Union Barrel Proof Straight Rye Whiskey
11. Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
12. Omakase Queensborough Japanese Style Gin

SILVER
1. South Fork Vodka
2. White Rhino Premium Vodka
3. Mutiny Island Vodka
4. Wild Rag Vodka
5. Wild Rag Mesquite Bean Vodka
6. Blood Sweat Tears Vodka
7. Humboldt Craft Spirits Blue Lake Vodka
8. Highclere Castle Gin
9. Western Son Texas Gin
10. Loch & Union Distilling American Dry Gin
11. Gray Whale Gin
12. Goleta Red Distilling Company Goodland Gin
13. Tau Tequila Blanco
14. Tierra Sagrada Plata Tequila
15. Cava De Oro Plata Tequila
16. Aquamiel Blanco Tequila
17. Tequila Dinastia Real Anejo Tequila
18. Cierto Tequila Private Collection Anejo Tequila
19. Don Cayo Anejo Tequila
20. Adictivo Extra Anejo Cristalino Tequila
21. Insolente Extra Anejo Tequila
22. Cierto Tequila Private Collection Extra Anejo Tequila
23. Cava De Oro Extra Anejo Cristalino Tequila
24. Tequila Dinastia Real Extra Anejo Tequila
25. Cava De Oro Extra Anejo Tequila
26. Revel Avila Anejo Tequila
27. Bandero Blanco Tequila
28. Kilinga Reposado Bacanora
29. Pfister Distilling Company Navy Strength Rum
30. Purgatorio Sangre Di Diablo Infused Rum
31. Neptune Barbados Gold Dark Rum
32. Wise Men Distillery Apple Pie Moonshine
33. Courvoisier VS Cognac
34. Courvoisier XO Cognac
35. Fainting Goat Spirits C.B. Fisher’s American Single Malt Whiskey
36. Bogart’s Irish Whiskey
37. Sui Generis Siren Song Corn Whiskey
38. MannCave Whiskey Corn Whiskey
39. Redwood Empire Whiskey Lost Monarch Straight Whiskey
40. Humboldt Craft Spirits Redwood Rye Whiskey
41. Eight and Sand Blended Bourbon Whiskey American Blended Whiskey
42. Legends Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
43. Sagamore Spirit Signature 83 Proof Straight Rye
44. Sagamore Spirits Double Oak Rye Whiskey American Straight Rye Whiskey
45. Jim Beam Black Bourbon Whiskey
46. Café Agave Salted Caramel Coffee Liqueur
47. Blue Marble Cocktails Coconut Island
48. Café Agave Coffee Mocha Coffee Liqueur

BRONZE
1. Memphis Vodka
2. Wise Men Distillery Vodka
3. Frankly Organic Vodka
4. Dark Door Spirits Spirit of Hearts Vodka
5. Frankly Organic Grapefruit Vodka
6. Island Grove Blueberry Vodka
7. Frankly Organic Apple Vodka
8. Fairbanks Distilling 68 Below Vodka
9. Skagway Spirits Distillery Bone Dry Gin
10. Bogart’s Gin
11. Hammer Spring Gin
12. Humboldt Craft Spirits Little River Gin
13. Dark Door Spirits of Prohibition Gin
14. Dorwood Agave Blanco Tequila
15. Cava De Oro Reposado Tequila
16. Don Cayo Reposado Tequila
17. Cava De Oro Anejo Tequila
18. Adictivo Anejo Tequila
19. Tierra Sagrada Cristalino Extra Anejo Tequila
20. Insolente Anejo Tequila
21. Adictivo Extra Anejo Tequila
22. Don Cayo Extra Anejo Tequila
23. Don Alberto Extra Anejo Tequila
24. Tequila Dinastia Real Plata
25. MannCave Moonshine
26. PD-101, Moonshine
27. Bogart’s White Rum
28. Soggy Dollar Old Dark Rum
29. Divine Distillers Coffee Infused Rum
30. Courvoisier VSOP Cognac
31. 10th Street American Peated Whiskey American Single Malt Whiskey
32. Redwood Empire Rye Whiskey
33. C.B. Fisher's Straight Rye Whiskey
34. George Remus Repeal Reserve Series II
35. Old Dominick Huling Station Bourbon
36. Misunderstood Ginger Spiced Whiskey
37. Heritage Distilling BSB-103 Bourbon
38. J Seeds Apple Cider Whiskey
39. Oak & Eden Rye & Spire Whiskey
40. Taste of Florida Bloody Mary Mix
41. Café Agave Vanilla Cinnamon Coffee Liqueur
42. Chinola Fruit Liqueur
43. Lawless Liqueurs Apple Liqueur Fruit Liqueur
44. Lawless Liqueurs Black Cherry Liqueur Fruit Liqueur

DESIGN MEDALS
1. Tom of Finland Organic Vodka
2. Blood Sweat Tears Vodka
3. Island Grove Blueberry Vodka
4. Tequila Dinastia Real Anejo Tequila
5. Adictivo Black Label Extra Anejo Tequila
6. Insolente Extra Anejo Tequila
7. Tau Tequila Reposado
8. Revel Avila Anejo Tequila
9. Fainting Goat Spirits C.B. Fisher’s American Single Malt Whiskey
10. Sagamore Spirit Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
11. Courvoisier XO Cognac
12. Loch & Union Distilling American Dry Gin
13. Tierra Sagrada Añejo Tequila
14. Oak & Eden Bourbon & Spire Whiskey
15. Soggy Dollar Island Spiced Rum
16. Old Dominick Huling Station Bourbon

San Diego Spirits Festival
5580 La Jolla Blvd, #436
La Jolla CA 92037
USA

ABOUT SAN DIEGO SPIRITS FESTIVAL:

Since 2009, San Diego Spirits Festival has brought the best of the craft cocktail scene to the city of San Diego, celebrating local cuisine, mixology, and all things spirits. Voted Premier Traveler’s, “Must-Try Festival of the Year”, and named by Fodors.com as “One of the Best Cocktail Festivals in America!” It is truly an event not to be missed!

This release was published on openPR.