2020 North American Bourbon and Whiskey Comp List is Out!
Covid-19 has impacted everybody this year. Booze sales are up by double digits.
Bourbon and Whiskey lovers are stockpiling their beloved bottles. Distillers and marketers have not taken marketing budgets for granted. Competition is growing, and brands need to keep promoting.
Wine Country Network decided to pivot and develop a new way to run this year’s North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition. In past years, the NABWC has been held in New Orleans during the same week as the Tales Of The Cocktails Festival. Since Tales was officially canceled, Wine Country Network decided to protect judges and staff by eliminating travel.
Competition management rebottled entries into smaller 4oz bottles and create personal judging kits. The NABWC was the World’s First beverage competition to claim that they are “virtual”. Judges around the country received their sample bottles together with six Neat ™ Competition Tasting Glasses.
Most of the judges participated in a Zoom call where the shared notes and perspectives on how to taste submissions from their homes’ safety. Neat Glass inventor George Manska also participated in the online meeting and explained how to use his glasses to their maximum potential. To view the zoom meeting, click here.
When judging separately, the camaraderie and collaboration that happens around the judging table are absent. Judges expressed their desire to compare notes and opinions about specific. So, judges decided to set up conference calls and group texts to check in with each other and compare notes. This process delayed the results but ensured accuracy.
The Results:
King’s Family Distillery’s Ryeconic, Double Barreled Rye (97) “Best of Show 2020”
The “Best Of Show” award is an accolade to the highest scored product in the competition. This year’s winner was King’s Family Distillery’s limited production, Ryeconic, Double Barreled Rye, Aged 5 years, $64.99.
King’s Family Distillery in Sevierville, Tennessee, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains’ foothills just outside Pigeon Forge. Husband and wife team Justin and Cara King realized their dream of creating a one-of-a-kind and premium craft spirits brand in 2018 and haven’t looked back.
This significant win demonstrates that entering competitions can positively affect the ranking of young distilleries. Remember, you have to be in it to win it!
https://www.kingsfamilydistillery.com/new-home
Double Gold Winners (94 +)
- George Remus-Remus Repeal Reserve Series III, Straight Bourbon, 12 years, $84.99
- Three Keys Distillery- Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Small Batch, 2.5 years, $50.00
- W. L. Weller- Old Weller Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, $19.99
- W. L. Weller- W.L Weller 12-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, $24.99
This year’s competition received more than ninety entries from producers in the United States and Canada. For the full list of sixty two winners, click here:
