San Francisco, August 12, 2026 — The 2026 USA Spirits Ratings has announced its top winners, recognizing spirits that deliver excellence across Quality, Value and Packaging.

Dark Rum by Las Vegas Distillery was named 2026 Spirit of the Year after earning an outstanding score of 97 points. The two-year-aged American rum received 97 points for Quality, 97 for Value and 95 for Packaging. It was also named Rum of the Year and Spirit of the Year – United States.

WhistlePig Small Batch Rye Aged 10 Years also earned 97 points and was named Whisky of the Year and Rye Whiskey of the Year. Represented by Avid Marketing Group, the whiskey received 97 points for Quality, 95 for Value and 98 for Packaging. Avid Marketing Group was named Agency of the Year.

Hedonistas de la Fe Cuishe from Mexico was named Best Spirit by Quality after earning the competition’s highest Quality score of 98 points. The mezcal received 96 points overall and was also awarded Mezcal of the Year.

Winn-Dixie Gin, produced by Sazerac Company, received the competition’s highest Value score of 99 points. It was named Best Spirit by Value and Best Own Label by Quality, earning an overall score of 93 points.

WhistlePig Estate Oak Rye Aged 15 Years was named Best Spirit by Packaging after achieving the competition’s highest Packaging score of 99 points.

Top Winners at the 2026 USA Spirits Ratings

Spirit of the Year:
Dark Rum by Las Vegas Distillery, United States — 97 points

Best Spirit by Quality:
Hedonistas de la Fe Cuishe, Mexico — 98 Quality points

Best Spirit by Value:
Winn-Dixie Gin by Sazerac Company, United States — 99 Value points

Best Spirit by Packaging:
WhistlePig Estate Oak Rye Aged 15 Years, United States — 99 Packaging points

Whisky of the Year:
WhistlePig Small Batch Rye Aged 10 Years, United States — 97 points

Agency of the Year:
Avid Marketing Group

Best Own Label by Quality:
Winn-Dixie Gin by Sazerac Company — 93 points

Category Winners

Rum of the Year:
Dark Rum by Las Vegas Distillery, United States — 97 points

Whisky of the Year:
WhistlePig Small Batch Rye Aged 10 Years, United States — 97 points

Rye Whiskey of the Year:
WhistlePig Small Batch Rye Aged 10 Years, United States — 97 points

Indian Single Malt Whisky of the Year:
Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026 – Port Ruby Cask by Piccadily Agro Industries Limited, India — 96 points

Single Malt Whiskey of the Year:
Kadamba Indian Single Malt Whisky World Cask by Imperial Distillers and Vintners Pvt. Ltd., India — 94 points

American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year:
Stranahan’s Blue Peak by Proximo Spirits Inc., United States — 94 points

American Straight Rye Whiskey of the Year:
No. 6 by Gambit, United States — 93 points

American Blended Whiskey of the Year:
Town Branch Overproof Kentucky Straight Whiskey by Town Branch Distillery, United States — 95 points

Small Batch Bourbon of the Year:
1620 Distilling Company Small Batch Bourbon, United States — 94 points

Tennessee Whiskey of the Year:
Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskey by Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, United States — 94 points

Single Malt Irish Whiskey of the Year:
The Donn by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., Ireland — 95 points

Blended Irish Whiskey of the Year:
Hooligan Soup Irish Whiskey by Unbound Spirits, Ireland — 92 points

Tequila of the Year:
Código 1530 Rosa, México — 96 points

Mezcal of the Year:
Hedonistas de la Fe Cuishe, Mexico — 96 points

Vodka of the Year:
CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka – Original/Unflavored, France — 95 points

Gin of the Year:
Bosque Gin Alta Montaña, Argentina — 93 points

RTD of the Year:
Tequila CAZADORES Ready-to-Drink Paloma by Bacardi, Mexico — 94 points

Brandy of the Year:
VSOP American Brandy by Copper & Kings, United States — 93 points

Pisco of the Year:
Pisco María’s de Bou Barroeta, Chile — 93 points

Liqueur of the Year:
Evil Bean, United States — 92 points

Bitters and Mixers of the Year:
Underberg Bitters, Germany — 95 points

Spirits of the Year by Country

United States: Dark Rum by Las Vegas Distillery — 97 points
México: Código 1530 Rosa — 96 points
India: Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026 – Port Ruby Cask — 96 points
France: CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka – Original/Unflavored — 95 points
Germany: Underberg Bitters — 95 points
Dominican Republic: E. León Jimenes 1903 Dominican Rum — 94 points
Argentina: Bosque Gin Alta Montaña — 93 points
Chile: Pisco María’s de Bou Barroeta — 93 points
Italy: Amaro Nardini — 93 points
South Africa: Cape Citrus by Ginfuse — 92 points

Strong Performances Across Major Categories

Several globally recognized and emerging spirits brands achieved major category awards in the 2026 competition.

Código 1530 Rosa earned 96 points, taking both Tequila of the Year and Spirit of the Year – Mexico. The tequila received 97 points for Quality and Packaging.

Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026 – Port Ruby Cask earned 96 points and was named Indian Single Malt Whisky of the Year and Spirit of the Year – India. It achieved an outstanding Quality score of 98 points.

CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka – Original/Unflavored received 95 points and was named Vodka of the Year and Spirit of the Year – France.

Underberg Bitters earned 95 points, receiving Bitters and Mixers of the Year and Spirit of the Year – Germany.

The results also highlighted the continued growth of the ready-to-drink category, with Tequila CAZADORES Ready-to-Drink Paloma earning 94 points and being named RTD of the Year.

Judged for Quality, Value and Packaging

Organized by Beverage Trade Network, the USA Spirits Ratings evaluates spirits through the lens of the U.S. marketplace. Every entry is judged across three commercially important criteria: Quality, Value and Packaging.

Quality accounts for 50% of the final score, while Value and Packaging each account for 25%. Spirits are blind-tasted and assessed for aroma, flavor, balance, body, complexity and finish. Value considers whether the spirit delivers the right drinking experience at its retail price, while Packaging evaluates design, functionality, shelf appeal and overall presentation.

The judging panel brings together leading spirits buyers, retailers, importers, distributors and category experts who understand what consumers want and what performs successfully in the competitive U.S. market.

“The USA Spirits Ratings recognizes products that combine outstanding liquid with the value and presentation needed to succeed commercially,” said Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network. “The 2026 winners represent a strong mix of established names and emerging producers, all demonstrating the qualities that buyers and consumers look for in today’s spirits market.”

Medal Levels

Spirits are awarded medals according to the following scoring system:

Double Gold: 96 points and above
Gold: 90–95 points
Silver: 85–89 points
Bronze: 80–84 points

About the USA Spirits Ratings

The USA Spirits Ratings was created to recognize, reward and promote spirits brands that are built for today’s consumer and trade marketplace. Unlike competitions that assess spirits solely on taste, the USA Spirits Ratings evaluates the complete commercial proposition of every entry.

By judging Quality, Value and Packaging, the competition identifies spirits that not only deliver an excellent drinking experience but also offer the right price positioning and shelf appeal to perform successfully in retail and hospitality channels.

The USA Spirits Ratings is organized by Beverage Trade Network, a global drinks industry media, events and business services company helping beverage producers and brand owners connect with buyers, importers, distributors and retailers.

View the complete list of 2026 USA Spirits Ratings winners here.