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Welcome to  Meininger's International Spirits Award

Few things are as diverse and varied as the world of spirits. What drives the industry is unbridled creativity, the search for the extraordinary and the pursuit of the highest quality.

High-quality distillates are therefore increasingly coming into focus, new distilleries are being founded, existing ones are upgrading for the future and producers' ranges are becoming broader and more colourful. Visionary distillers around the world are looking for new ideas to make their spirits even better, leaving old paths behind - or deliberately going back to them. In this way, spirits are reaching ever new target groups who are eager to discover this infinite variety for themselves. A booming workshop and tasting culture are the best indicators of this new quality thinking on the part of consumers. 

In this growing variety, however, it is becoming an increased challenge for customers to keep their bearings and find their way around.

This is where Meininger's International Spirits Award - ISW comes in. Since 2004, we have made it our task to provide distillers and producers with objective, neutral, expert and detailed feedback on their products, as well as to offer consumers reliable quality orientation for their purchasing decisions. 

The competition in 2024 will be held in three parts with category focuses in January, April and June.

January 2024

  • Brandy, Spirits & Fruit Spirits
  • Fruit liqueurs
  • Liqueurs of all kindst
  • Brandy & Grape marc spirit

Click here to register for the January tasting!

April 2024

  • Gin and juniper spirits
  • Aperitif
  • Vermouth
  • Non-alcoholic distillates
  • Other spirits, absinthe, tequila

Click here to register for the April tasting!

June 2024

  • Whisk(e)y
  • Rum
  • Vodka
  • Korn & other grain spirits
  • The Grand Gin & Tonic Tasting (only awarded Gins from the ISW April Tasting 2024 can participate)

Click here to register for the June tasting!

 

We look forward to tasting and evaluating your spirits and to presenting the best ones to spirits lover all over the world in an even broader and more public way.

 

 

Your marketing benefits
Meininger´s International Spirits Award
Meininger´s International Spirits Award
How the tasting works

Registered spirits are allocated to groups of judges, each consisting of five to six tasters. Under the leadership of the head judge, the jury blind-tastes the spirits in thematic flights. Each jury member tastes each spirit and makes an objective assessment. Unlike in many other competitions, a comparative assessment is neither made nor openly discussed. This ensures that each spirit is given the full attention it deserves.The results of each jury member are checked for completeness by the head judge on each table before being recorded electronically. The final score is ultimately the average of all submitted assessments.

Rastal nosing glasses are used throughout for tasting, to ensure optimum comparability. Using a 100-point system, each judge rates the samples on the basis of their appearance, aroma, taste and overall impression. Additionally – and this is another special feature of the ISW – the spirits are described according to their aroma using an aroma wheel specially designed for each type of spirit. This shows the flavour profile of the product at a glance and provides real added value for both end consumers and producers alike.

Awards

The International Spirits Competition ISW provides valuable help not only for the trade but also for the consumer. The well-known and widely used ISW medals have become a seal of quality for trade and consumers. Take advantage of the opportunity to win an award, present your spirit to this unique jury of international experts and increase the awareness of your product with an ISW medal!

Additional awards:

 BrandSpirit of the Year
 Spirit of the Year
 Newcomer Spirit of the Year
 Distiller/Producer of the Year
 Spirit Importer of the Year
 Best spirit in each category (national+international)

 

 

medals
medals