The Results Are In for the 2014 San Diego Spirits Festival International Spirits Competition

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2014 - PRLog -- A highly-qualified panel of spirits judges evaluated the entries using a proprietary scoring system that evaluated each spirit on a number of factors, including taste, appearance, aroma and commercial suitability.  The integrity of San Diego Spirits Festival International Spirits Competition starts with the quality and expertise of the Esteemed Judges. The Judges all have a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds and this facilitated a true, unbiased quality of judging of all the brands that entered.

Judges Henry Priess, Forrest Cokely, Frankie Thaheld, Rich Manning Michael Neff, Roberto Loppi, Dushan Zaric, and David Rippentrop tasted all entries in the NEAT glass, designed to dissipate alcohol and magnify aromas. Spirits were judged on appearance, aroma, taste, and finish.

Every medal awarded was won against a field of competitors. With Four Double Gold medals (Highest Recommendation) awarded to De La Ron Ultra-Premium Vodka - Miel de Tierra Reposado - Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Whiskey - Don Loco Tequila Reposado and Ten Gold medals (Highly Recommended), the judges at the competition awarded these distinguished medals to the best of the best.

The San Diego Spirits Festival Founders Awards were awarded against a field of competitors and each entry was blind tasted, and identified only after the medalists were finalized, The San Diego Spirits Festival certifies that all final spirits medal awards were fairly and impartially bestowed.

BEST IN CATEGORY

Nothing says excellence quite like being the best in category at the San Diego International Spirits Competition. Each entry had to undergo blind organoleptic analysis by an esteemed panel of Judges, before being rated on a proprietary scoring system. After careful consideration of each spirits qualities, the following spirits were judged to be the best in their individual categories:

• De La Ron Ultra-Premium Vodka – Double Gold (Vodka)

• Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Whiskey – Double Gold (Aged Whiskey)
• Miel de Tierra Reposado – Double Gold (Mezcal)
• Don Loco Tequila Reposado – Double Gold (Tequila)
• Pusser’s 3 year Navy Rum – Gold (Rum)
• Distillery 209 Gin 5XD – Gold (Gin)
• Sugarland’s Jim Tom’s Signature Moonshine – Gold (White Whiskey)
• Sugarland Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine – Gold (Flavored Spirits)
• Sugarland Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine Gold (Liqueur)

2014 San Diego Spirits Competition Medal Winners

VODKA
Double Gold • De La Ron Ultra-Premium Vodka
Gold • Leaf Vodka Rocky Mountain Mineral Water
Silver • Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Vodka
Bronze • Stillcreek Texas Handmade Vodka
Bronze • Ventura Spirits California Vodka
Bronze • Azzurre Spirits Vodka
Bronze • Treaty Oak Starlite Vodka
Founders Awards
Gold • Dennis Rodman Bad Ass Vodka
Silver • Camp 1805 Mt. Hood Vodka
Silver • RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka
Bronze • AK-47 Vodka
Bronze • Ventura Spirits California Vodka

GIN
Gold • Distillery 209 Gin 5XD
Silver • Sears Cutting Edge Gin
Bronze • Treaty Oak Waterloo Texas Style Gin
Founders Awards
Silver • Treaty Oak Distilling Waterloo Antique Gin
Bronze • Gompers Gin
Bronze • Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin
Bronze • Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat

WHITE WHISKEY – MOONSHINE
Gold • Sugarlands Jim Tom’s Signature Moonshine
Silver • Dark Corner Corn Whiskey Moonshine
Bronze • 8 Feathers Idaho Moonshine

TEQUILA
Gold • Don Loco Tequila Reposado Double distilled, Kosher, Gluten Free
Silver • Don Loco Tequila Blanco Double distilled, Kosher, Gluten Free
Bronze• Don Loco Tequila Anejo Double distilled, Kosher, Gluten Free
Founders Awards
Double Gold • Don Loco Tequila Reposado Double distilled, Kosher, Gluten Free

MEZCAL
Double Gold • Miel de Tierra Reposado
Bronze • Jaral de Berrio Marques

RUM
Gold• Pusser’s 3 year Navy Rum
Silver • Tiburon Small Batch Premium Crafted Aged Rum
Bronze • Pusser’s 15 year Navy Rum
Founders Awards
Silver • Mocambo Rum
Bronze• Gubba Gold Rum
Bronze • Avuá Cachaça Amburana Rum
Bronze • Camp 1805 Backbone Rum

AGED WHISKEY
Double Gold• Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Whiskey
Gold • Jim Beam Black Double Aged 8 year
Silver • Westland Deacon Seat American Single Malt
Bronze • Jim Beam Signature Craft 12 year
Founders Awards
Bronze • Mad River Distillers Bourbon Whiskey
Bronze • Stillwrights Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bronze • Dark Corner Lewis Redmond, Carolina Bourbon

FLAVORED SPIRITS
Gold • Sugarland Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine
Silver • Short Mountain Prohibition Tea Tennessee Moonshine
Bronze • Sugarland Butterscotch Gold Moonshine
Founders Awards
Silver • Don Loco Tequila Natural Vanilla Infused, Double distilled, Kosher, Gluten Free
Bronze • Short Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine
Bronze • Jim Beam Red Stag Hardcore Cider
Bronze • Jim Beam Honey Whiskey
Bronze • Pepper Lake Sweet Ginger Vodka
Bronze • Black Moth Truffle Vodka
Bronze • Dirty Tequila

LIQUEURS & COCKTAILS
Gold • Stolen Rum Coffee and Cigarettes Spiced Rum
Silver • Damiana Herbal Liqueur
Bronze • Sankta Annas Branneri Valkyria Absinthe
Founders Awards
Bronze • Bye Joe Dragon Fire
Bronze • BuzzBallz Choc Tease
Bronze • Lavish Vodka Cocktail

People’s Choice Packaging Awards
Gold • Failte Vodka
Silver • Mocambo Rum
Bronze• Chaquira Tequila Jaguar Extra Anejo

San Diego Spirits Festival Chairman’s Packaging Award
Gold • Aviv 613 Vodka

Absolutely no automatic awards were given. Every medal awarded was won against a field of competitors, and stood on its own individual merits. The San Diego Spirits Festival reserves and exercises the right to combine categories with few entries to avoid automatic awards.