Spirits Judging Deadline Friday

[fotoski]

The deadline for submitting spirits to ADI's annual judging of craft American spirits is rapidly approaching. If you are planning to enter your products, register and send them in this week!

For those who missed it the first time, here again is the information.

Cheers,

Drew

The American Distilling Institute will Judge of Craft American Spirits prior to the annual conference in Portland Oregon. Brandies and Whiskies will be evaluated in a blind tasting by a panel of select judges.

Brandies will be judged in the following categories.

Brandy from grapes

Grappa

Aged brandy from other fruits (apple, cherry, peach, pear, plum, raspberry and other)

Un-aged brandy from other fruits (apple, cherry, peach, pear, plum, raspberry and other)

Fruit Infusions (fruit infusions into a fruit-based spirit)

Whiskies will be judged in the following categories:

Malt Whiskey

Bourbon 

Wheat Whiskey

Corn Whiskey

Rye Whiskey 

Un-aged Whiskey 

Other Whiskey

ADI will evaluate spirits made in one DSP in separate categories from those from products that include spirits distilled at other facilities.

Packaging Award -- ADI will also award innovative packaging. Bottles will be judges on overall originality, creativity, graphic design, integration of bottle design to label style, and aesthetic appeal. The packaging award will be given for both bottle and gift box design. Each spirit submitted for judging will also be considered for the packaging award. Producers who wish to enter spirits for whom there is no category, may enter bottles for only the packaging award.

The judging panel will include Hubert Germain-Robin, David Pickerell, Alexandre Gabriel, David Scheurich, Julia Nourney, Flavien Desoblin, Jeanine Koszalka-Racht, Jay Erisman and David Shenaut.

The purpose of this judging is to help promote the American craft distillers that are producing the finest quality spirits and to give participating distillers valuable, unbiased, third-party feedback on the quality and process of their spirits. 

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded with certificates and bottle-stickers made available for spirits judged worthy of recognition. All entrants will receive tasting notes with comments from the spirits judges. 

Deadline for sprits registration is March 18, 2011. All spirits must arrive in Portland for judging by March 25, 2011 to be considered - no exceptions. Judging will be held Sunday-Monday April 2-3, 2011 and medals will be announced, Wednesday night, April 6, 2011, at a banquet at the Benson Hotel, in Portland, OR, during ADI's annual conference.

For complete information go to http://www.distilling.com/2011Conference/spiritsJudging/submissionGuidlines.php

Only ADI member distilleries are eligible for entry. For membership information go to http://www.distilling.com/join2.html

For questions that are not answered there, contact ADI’s Judging Director Andrew Faulkner: drew@distilling.com, 415-517-7377.