Hood River Distillers Brands Win Gold at 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards
Among submissions from over 34 countries, we are honored to announce that Hood River Distillers, the Pacific Northwest’s Largest and Oldest Distillery, won four Gold Medals and two Silver Medals at the 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards. The Bartender Spirits Awards judge spirits across the parameters of Mixability, Balance and Versatility, Taste, Mouthfeel and Finish, Package, and Price and the following Hood River Distillers products were each honored with 90 Points or higher.
Batanga Tequila Blanco – Gold, 93 Points, “Batanga Blanco has very high mixability and value at the price point.”
Batanga Tequila Reposado – Gold, 92 Points, “Batanga Reposado has high mixability and value at the price point.”
Old Delicious Double Bourbon Barreled Apple Brandy – Gold, 92 Points, “Old delicious has great versatility, balance and finish.”
London Dry Big Gin – Gold, 90 Points, “London Dry Big Gin is a great all-around gin with great mixability, taste, and value.”
In addition, our Bourbon Barreled Big Gin and Peat Barreled Big Gin were each awarded a Silver Medal (89 Pts).
ABOUT THE BARTENDER SPIRITS AWARDS
The aim of Bartender Spirits Awards is to provide independent and honest reviews for brands who are looking to enter the U.S. on-premise industry. The judging panel consists of some of the most renowned names in the U.S. bar industry, all of them with extensive expertise within the on-premise industry. The result will be a relevant and practical source of reference for bartenders, bar managers, bar owners, and other industry professionals when making purchasing decisions for their establishments.
The judging panel boasts some of the most renowned names in the US bar industry. The judging panel of the Bartender Spirits Awards included top bartenders at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. Judges from the panel also included cocktail consultants for on-premise establishments, who play an important buying role for their on-premise establishment.
According to CEO, Sid Patel of event organizer, Beverage Trade Network, “Idea of Bartender Spirits Awards is to put the best judges forward to evaluate the best on-premise spirits for the consumers. We were very pleased with the quality of the spirits we received in the second year of the competition”.
There were 7 double gold winners which scored 96 and more points, 127 gold medals in the 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards. The 2020 competition saw submissions from 34 countries including some new additions like Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Switzerland. The United States had the top submissions where 251 brands were entered followed by Mexico and Australia demonstrating the growth in Tequila and Australian craft spirits culture. Japan was the top favorite when it came to overall quality by country with the highest average by country for gold medals.