American Craft Spirit Competition 2019
For the third year in a row, we have been honored to serve on the American Craft Spirits Association judging panel. Every fall we gather with other beverage professionals to taste and rank craft spirits. Each year the location changes but the mission stays the same, impart honest and constructive feedback on the quality and use of the spirit.
2019 brought us to Bloomington Indiana, home of the Hoosiers and Cardinal Spirits. Co-owned by Jeff Wuslich and Erica Sagon, Cardinal Spirits offers a variety of products including Rum, Vodka and Terra Botanical Gin, along with an assortment of ready-to-drink cocktails in a can.
My personal favorite, The Bramble Mule. We would meet in their tasting room for three days to evaluate the craft spirits. Luckily, the distillery is equipped with a full bar serving delicious cocktails crafted with their booze, of course.
This year, I was again assigned to the specialty spirits category and Taneka was a member of the Gin judging panel. My flights ranged from 3 – 6 samples of Amaro, Shochu and Aquavits. Daily, our group would taste in silence before we shared our thoughts and scores on each sample.
While we disagreed on some aspects, we ultimately wanted to encourage makers of quality spirits and inspire those whose product needs a little more work.
As for the 2020 judging, there’s no telling where we will be or what we will taste. But our flights will be booked and our palettes will be ready!
https://americancraftspirits.org/ https://www.cardinalspirits.com/ https://www.visitbloomington.com/ Jackie Summers: @theliquortarian Kara Newman: @newman_kara Andi Ferman: @boozer_n_shaker Maggie Campbell: @halfpintmaggie @CraftSpiritsUS https://privateerrum.com/
Leave a Reply