Born and raised in Alaska, Bruce Abbott has spent 17 years working in the wine and spirits sector. He began his career as a bartender and bar manager, where he acquired hands-on experience in creating specialty drinks and overseeing a brewery. He subsequently opened a boutique wine shop and sold wine and spirits to lodges in Alaska, broadening his area of expertise.

Currently, Bruce is the President of Liquor Stores USA North Inc. Prior to this, he worked at the largest alcohol retailer in Alaska, Brown Jug, as the category manager for spirits. He was in charge of choosing over 7,000 wines and spirits for 21 retail locations, organizing public tastings, creating control-brand wine programs, and choosing whiskey barrels for the network.

Bruce appreciates the USA Spirits Ratings' holistic criteria, which places a strong emphasis on quality, and value for money, and packaging. These components, in his opinion, are essential for consumers as well as retail shoppers. Bruce places the most priority on quality in his evaluations, and he believes that packaging is the hardest to grade impartially.

To learn more insights from Bruce, head over to our interview with him as part of our "Behind the Series" interviews.

Can you share a bit about your journey into the world of spirits?

I first got involved in spirits as a bartender and then bar manager at a hotel. Catering to an older clientele, it was a great introduction to the world of classic cocktails, and the practical experience I gained there has served me well throughout my career.

The USA Spirits Ratings are known for their holistic judging criteria. In your opinion, what sets these criteria apart, and how do they align with what today's trade and consumers are looking for?

The inclusion of value and label design are important differentiators for USA Spirits Ratings and align the scores more with the real-world experience of buying a product, both from a retail buyer's and a consumer's perspective. As a retail buyer, knowing not just that you're putting a quality product on the shelf, but that it delivers good value to your customers and has the packaging necessary to pull off the shelf creates the confidence needed to add the item to your selection. As a consumer, knowing that the item has a great QPR is critically important in the current economy, where discretionary spending is tighter than ever.

Considering the diverse aspects of Spirits assessment—such as quality, value for money, and packaging—how do you balance these elements during judging, and which do you find most challenging to evaluate?

For me—and I think most other judges—quality comes first, and I always evaluate that aspect before I examine any packaging or price point. The most challenging aspect to evaluate is packaging, as it's sometimes challenging to set your aesthetic preferences aside and instead ask if the packaging is effective in showcasing the product. The target consumer for high-end gin is very different than an affordable flavored vodka, and while embossed glass and intricate label design may work for one, they wouldn't be a good fit for the other.

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Competitions often highlight trends within the spirits industry. Based on your experience as a judge, can you identify any emerging trends that are gaining traction?

Canned cocktails continue to grow, but we're also seeing consolidation in the category as a few winners emerge. New brands entering that segment will need something unique to capture customers' interest.

We're seeing a significant trade-down in the spirits market overall, and brands that can present a quality product while undercutting the big brands in price have and will continue to grow their market share.

Feedback from judges is a crucial component of the USA Spirits Ratings. How do you approach giving constructive feedback to entrants, and why do you believe this feedback is valuable for them?

I'm pretty blunt in my feedback, but I feel that is more valuable than sugarcoating criticism. Ultimately, I want to see more products in the market that I want to put on our shelves and that I think will be successful with our customers, so if there are aspects of a product—whether it be related to its quality, value, or packaging—that make me less likely to carry it, I want the producer to know. Hopefully, that criticism helps them create an end product that will be more successful.

Discover more about the latest developments in the spirits sector, including interviews with leading industry figures, rising brands, and more. Find out what it takes to win a medal at the USA Spirits Ratings, the value of a medal, and why it matters to compete in our competition.