The bartender’s cut

“The Tough Mudder of spirits awards” is how Dan Priseman describes the Bartender’s Best Awards. Not being
remotely sycophantic, we’re inclined to agree. Who better than bartenders to judge the quality of the spirits that go into your glass? And to make this particular awards even more interesting – how about getting them to judge the quality of the liquid versus the price of the product in a ‘double blind’ process?

It’s not rocket science but funnily enough, spirits awards have never been done like this before. Not in the UK at any rate. So Priseman together with James Triffo set about putting this right. “People don’t purchase a product based on age statements, they purchase based on a price range they can afford,” says Triffo. “Likewise, bartenders use products based on price when recommending drinks to customers. We’re the first and only spirit awards using this methodology and believe it’s the fairest and most accurate way to judge products used across UK bars. It’s been a humbling process and a real curving curve.”

Brands were charged £200 to submit their products, with all proceeds going to support bartenders with training at the Wine Spirit Education Trust (WSET). It took ten months from conception to the announcements which were made earlier this week. During this time the invited bartenders were put through their paces, evaluating and
scoring the products based on their merits in accordance with the WSET systematic approach to tasting. “It’s a true double-blind process which ensures that no individual in the room knows which liquid is in which glass,”
adds Priseman. “It really is a rigorous process, designed to find the best products available in the UK.”

Forget runner’s-up places, the Bartender’s Best Awards only has time for winners. See the results below. But first, a few words with the founders:

Category Winners

Fortified Wine
Cocchi Vermouth di Torino

Bitters
Bitter Truth Creole Bitters

Liqueur
Bitter Truth Golden Falernum

Vodka
Belvedere Unfiltered

Gin
Geranium 55

Cognac
Pierre Ferrand 1840

Rum
Appleton 21yo

Whisky
Chivas 25yo

Tequila
Tapatio Blanco

2014 Grand Champion
Chivas Regal 25 year old