“It was a great competition,” founder & organiser Adam Levy tells Global Drinks Intel. “Now that the tariff war [between the European Union and the US] is over, European producers are clearly much more optimistic – and adventurous.
“We saw entries from a lot of interesting countries, particularly from Eastern Europe, who are trying to get a foothold in the US market. We also benefited from exhibiting at ProWein [in Germany] earlier this year, which drove a lot of entries.”
What lends the New York International Spirits Competition particular credence is its use of professionals working in the alcohol industry as judges. This year’s panel, as in previous years, includes retail trade buyers, alongside restaurateurs, mixologists and distributors.
The results highlighted a “noticeable uptick” in RTDs, says Levy. “There’s been a shift from synthetic-tasting variants to more natural flavours from small and large producers,” he reveals. “We’re also seeing established bourbon, vodka, gin and rum distillers now push into RTDs.”
There were “interesting rums from the Caribbean and South America”, adds Levy, as well as “more barrel-aged gins, where there’s definite interest among consumers”.
The awards ceremony for this year’s competition will be hosted by Levy at Bar Convent Brooklyn, also in New York, on 11 and 12 June.
Here are all of this year’s Double Gold medal winners, broken down by category.
