​The New Orleans Spirits Competition is an international spirits judging bringing wider recognition to fine beverages and spirits from top-flight producers across the globe. Presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, each spirit is tasted blind by a panel of industry experts, without identification, to ensure integrity and secrecy. The judging panels include preeminent industry professionals, including award-winning bartenders and distillers, decorated beverage writers, and industry luminaries. Awards will be presented during Tales of the Cocktail, the largest and most prestigious cocktail conference. 

The competition's unique format evaluates spirits in two rounds with the top-six spirits in each class proceeding to a championship round, where the top awards are decided publicly. Industry professionals taste along with the judging panels each July at Tales of the Cocktail, pulling back the curtain on spirits competitions. When panels of four esteemed professionals blind taste the best spirits entered in the New Orleans Spirits Competition, an audience of 42 people are served the same flight. Though the audience does not have a vote, they listen to the banter as the judges determine which spirits will be best of class. And after the judges have decided, conversation opens up to the room.

 

This unique, live judging has become one of the most well-attended events at Tales of the Cocktail. The tastings are an education for professionals to better understand a category and find new brands. While tasting spirits with friends always helps point out aromas and flavors that may otherwise be overlooked, drinking spirits with experts elevates the experience exponentially. The insight is like drinking spirits from a fire hose.

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For the brands, it is an excellent introduction to the bartenders, journalists, and industry professionals at Tales of the Cocktail.

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