2021 USA Spirits Ratings Early Bird Offer Ends In 07 Days
Malvika Patel
Editor and VP at Beverage Trade Network, USA Trade Tasting, London Competitions, IBWSS, Sommeliers Choice Awards, Paris Wine Cup, USA Wine Ratings and More!
Meet the Judges of one of the most Important Spirits Competitions in the USA. From retail stores to restaurants to hospitality venues, these USR Judges represent every sector of the spirits industry.
A world-class spirits competition requires a world-class panel of judges, and that’s exactly what the USA Spirits Ratings event has assembled in San Francisco. These judges represent every important sector of the spirits industry, from retail stores to restaurants to hospitality venues.
The USA Spirits Ratings will be assessed and judged by a leading panel of top-level spirits buyers with current direct commercial buying responsibility. Or spirits consultants and experts who are also directly involved in the development of new brands or buying spirits for commercial resale.
The list of judges will be drawn from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, and on-trade groups across a variety of channels and disciplines including multiple retailing, convenience stores, cash and carries, specialist retailers, casual and fine dining, hospitality, and the travel industry.
With that in mind, here’s a full listing of the judges of the USA Spirits Ratings event in San Francisco:
View the first set of 2021 USA Spirits Ratings judges here.
How The Scoring System Works
Each submission is assigned a unique submission reference number. The spirits are to be assigned a score for quality and value on a blind-tasting basis. Following this, the spirits will be brought to the judges and arranged together for the packaging score for that flight.
Quality Score (Q) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = USA Spirits Ratings Final Score.
Quality:
The USA Spirits Ratings is not only about recognizing spirits that achieve high-quality scores, but you would struggle to drink more than a glass of. We want to celebrate spirits that are both enjoyable and easy to drink. Spirits that are well balanced, where their acidity, tannins, and alcohol levels all work seamlessly together. That’s the quality factor.
Value for money:
You don't need to be the cheapest brand on the shelf to offer the best value for money. Far from it. A brand may have a high price tag, but can still offer great value providing it delivers the right quality and taste for a drink at that price point. The USA Spirits Ratings will assess each spirits brand for how much value it is offering its customers.
Package and Design:
This is arguably the most important part of a spirits brand to get right. For, after all, what a spirits brand looks like is how every consumer chooses the brand they want to drink with their eyes first. Up to 65% of consumers will try a new spirits brand just because it looks good and if you can match that with a price and quality of spirits that offer great value for money, then you are more than halfway home. The USA Spirits Ratings will reward those brands that show they understand their customers, and the price category they are operating in, and have produced a design and package with the right personality to attract and keep their attention.
Commercially relevant:
Crucially all the winners in the USA Spirits Ratings will give future trade buyers, be they for a supermarket, specialist retailer, casual dining, or upmarket restaurant, the reassurance that these are spirits that their customers want to buy.
A separate weighted score will be given for each of the parts of the judging process. The scores will be added up to give a final score from which individual prizes will be awarded.
What’s new for 2021?
In the forthcoming competition, Judges will also be entering tasting notes for each spirits brand which will result in a unified tasting note that will be provided by USA Spirits Ratings to the entrant in a way a sommelier would talk about to its customer.
Entrants will get score breakdown, tasting notes, and shelf talker templates in their zones which will further help spirits brands position their message and communicate to end consumers.
“We are very pleased with the first panel of judges that are planned for the 2021 USA Spirits Ratings. Our aim is to not only provide more value to the distilleries and spirits brands that enter, but also support the hospitality industry and bartender community in 2021 with our global drinks guides initiatives like Los Angeles Drinks Guide, New York Drinks Guide, Chicago Drinks Guide, and San Francisco Drinks Guide where top winners of the USA Spirits Ratings will be promoted to drive brand awareness and foot traffic where these top spirits will be sold.” - Sid Patel, CEO of USA Spirits Ratings and Beverage Trade Network.
The USA Spirits Ratings was first introduced in 2017 to single out and shine the spotlight on those spirits brands that consumers really want to buy and have a clear market value for trade buyers.
KEY DATES
Early Bird Deadline: April 30, 2021 (07 Days Left)
Warehouse Deadline: July 5, 2021
Judging: July 25, 2021
Winners Announcement: August 10, 2021
Quantity Discount Now Available
3 to 8 entries: 10% discount
9 to 13 entries: 15% discount
14 or more entries: 20% discount
(Price in USD)
Visit the official website to learn more. If you have any queries, please reach us on [email protected] or give us a call on +1 855 481 1112