USA Spirits Ratings

2025 Submission Now Open.

Get Your Spirits In Front Of Top Retail Buyers.

Spirits Competition that is focused on independents, regional and national retailers.

Submit Spirits  Order Stickers

A new benchmark for award-winning spirits!

About USA Spirits Ratings

USA Spirits Ratings: Spirits are judged by Quality, Value, and Packaging.

Entries are now open for spirits brands. For spirits brands looking to gain wider recognition within the U.S. marketplace, the USA Spirits Ratings event is a fantastic opportunity to get in front of the industry’s most influential tastemakers.

Key Dates

Super Early Bird Ends - December 10, 2024
International Submission Closes - May 31, 2025
Domestic Submission Closes - June 30, 2025
Warehouse Closes - July 10, 2025
Judging Day - July 27, 2025
Winners Announced - August 12, 2025

For spirits to stand out in the USA Spirits Ratings, they have to perform well in each of three separate judging criteria:

Quality. All spirits will be initially tasted blind to assess their quality and how drinkable they are for consumers in their target area.

Value for money.  Spirits will then be assessed to see how much value for money they are offering their target spirits drinkers at that price point.

Packaging and design. As the majority of spirits is bought with our eyes, the USA Spirits Ratings will recognize spirits that stand out on the shelf, or on a back bar, and will assess how well suited that design or packaging is to their target consumer group and at that price point.

Key Dates

Super Early Bird Ends - December 10, 2024
International Submission Closes - May 31, 2025
Domestic Submission Closes - June 30, 2025
Warehouse Closes - July 10, 2025
Judging Day - July 27, 2025
Winners Announced - August 12, 2025

 

 

Key Dates

Super Early Bird Ends - December 10, 2024
International Submission Closes - May 31, 2025
Domestic Submission Closes - June 30, 2025
Warehouse Closes - July 10, 2025
Judging Day - July 27, 2025
Winners Announced - August 12, 2025

The USA Spirits Ratings looks to recognize, reward and help promote spirits brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific spirits drinker. For any brand to earn its place on a retailer’s shelf or a bar's list - and then vitally stay there - they need to be marketable and consumer-driven and not just produced in the general hope it can find enough people willing to sell and buy it.

Judges

Meet our 2025 Judges

Bert Svensson

Wine, Beer, Spirits - Liquor Department Manager and and Buyer at AVP, Pavilions Rancho Santa Margarita

Awards

USA Spirits Ratings Medals

Gold
+90 Points

Silver
+80 Points

Bronze
+70 Points

Judging Formula

To win a USA Spirits Ratings award you will need to score highly in all three areas of our judging criteria. You might have an outstanding quality spirit, but if the price and packaging is not right, you will not be recognized by the USA Spirits Ratings. There is no point, for example, in having a 95 points if it does not look good or offer consumers great value for money. Those points mean it will remain highly respected within the trade, but it will also remain largely unsold on the shelf or languishing on a restaurant’s spirits list.

That is why USA Spirits Ratings is the leading spirits ratings in the USA with the rationale to rate spirits per the preferences of the consumer and trade and rewarding spirits as such. Spirits entries will be judged by their Quality, Value and Packaging.

Scoring System

Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = USA Spirits Ratings Score.

Quality Score: will be marked out of 100

Value Score: will be marked out of 100

Package Score: will be marked out of 100

A separate weighted score will be given for each of the three parts of the judging process (Quality gets twice the weight). The scores will be calculated with other judges for the same product on the team to give a final score out of 100 from which individual prizes will be awarded.

Quality Score

Quality will be assessed based on how agreeable the spirits is for its target customer and chemical analysis. USR will measure quality by Appearance, Aroma, Body, Taste and Aftertaste.

Value Score

Value in this context means how well the spirits is priced based on its quality. If you think it offers excellent value, the score should be close to 100 of 100 and if you think it should be priced lower, then the score should be low. The metric to be used here is the retail price vs quality.

Packaging Score

Packaging in this context is measured by how well you think the spirits will be perceived by the consumer. This includes label, bottle colour, bottle shape and closure. This does not involve boxes, cartons and bags. It is how you think the product will be perceived when placed on spirits shelf amongst thousands of other spirits.

Who are the Judges?

The USA Spirits Ratings(USR) will be assessed and judged by a leading panel of top-level spirits buyers with current direct commercial buying responsibility. 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.

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