Super Early
Deadline
December 20, 2024
Judging
Date
July 27, 2025
Winners
Announcement
August 12, 2025
The USA Spirits Ratings is the only Spirits Competition in USA that is focused on independents, regional and national retailers. It is designed to recognize and reward spirits that are not only high in quality but also deliver value and packaging that appeal to consumers. To ensure a fair and transparent judging process, the competition evaluates entries across three key criteria: Quality, Value and Package.
Judges work in groups to assess spirits against the three criteria: Quality, Value, and Packaging. Each spirit is scored on a 100-point scale, with points allocated based on the respective weights of the criteria. Judges provide comments to highlight the key attributes of top-scoring spirits. Each panel has a mix of independents, regional and national retail wine buyers.
By averaging scores across a panel of experienced judges, the USA Spirits Competition ensures fairness and accuracy. The blind tasting process prioritizes quality, while packaging evaluation is kept separate to maintain objectivity. This method guarantees that medal-winning spirits are both outstanding in quality and ready to appeal to consumers.
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.
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 and Deadlines
Super Early Bird Ends - December 20, 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
Gold
+90 Points
Silver
+80 Points
Bronze
+70 Points
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.
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 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 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 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.
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.