Zachary Taylor has built his career around a deep passion for the food and beverage industry, particularly as a professional bartender and bar manager. His journey into the spirits sector began as a naturally curious bartender, collecting flavor memories and exploring different whiskies. This curiosity led him to immerse himself in books and professional events, continuously expanding his knowledge.

As the Bar Manager at 83 Proof, Zachary inspires his team to share his passion for discovering what makes each product unique. He has been fortunate to sample select products from passionate producers, further fueling his dedication to the craft.

Zachary is also a judge for USA Spirits Ratings, where he appreciates the holistic judging criteria that emphasize aroma, flavor, body, and finish, alongside consumer cost. He finds the balance of quality, value for money, and packaging to be a fundamental aspect of evaluation, with packaging and cost often presenting the biggest challenges.

Emerging trends Zachary has observed include the rise of American Single Malts and Barrel Aged Gins, which offer new possibilities in mixology and sipping. His constructive feedback focuses on flavor assessment and packaging improvements.

For more on Zachary Taylor’s journey and insights, view the full interview in our "Behind the Scenes" interview below.

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

I’ve always been naturally curious and just started collecting flavor memories as a bartender, trying all the different whiskies. I kept buying more books and going to more professional events.

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?

USA Spirits Ratings does a great job of asking judges to judge the aroma, flavor, body, and finish of the brands. We are asked to evaluate these brands on how much they would cost for the consumer, and that has a big difference in rating relative quality.

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?

The fundamental of this process is that the quality of the spirit is at the forefront of the evaluation, and everything else hinges upon how good the spirit is. The most challenging things to evaluate are things that have good quality but might be packaged poorly or cost an extravagant amount relatively.

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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?

I have seen a growth in the amount of American Single Malts and Barrel Aged Gins that have hit the market. The former will eventually compete with some of the most highly sought Single Malts from Scotland or Japan. The latter offer entirely new ways to use gin in mixing cocktails or even gins to sip neat or on the rocks.

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 always want to put my best impression first, which is a typical assessment of the flavors in the product. Next, I like to assess what about the packaging or marketing that I think could use tweaking.

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.