The USA Spirits Ratings looks to recognize, reward and help promote spirits brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific spirits drinker. For any spirits brand to earn its place on a retailer’s shelf or a restaurant’s spirits list -  and then vitally stay there - they need to be marketable and consumer-driven and not just produced in the general hope it can find enough people willing to sell and buy it.

That is why the USA Spirits Ratings is different. It will single out and shine the spotlight on those spirits brands that consumers really want to buy and have a clear market value for trade buyers.

A Competition that will judge spirits in three key areas:

1. Their quality
2. Their value for money
3. What they look like

To be an award winner you will need to have top-quality spirits, that offer both the trade and the consumer great value for money, and you will need to look good and truly stand out on the shelf and on the back bar.

Scoring Definations

Quality: Quality will be assessed based on how agreeable the spirit is for its target customer and chemical analysis. Measure quality considering the following characteristics of the beverage: Appearance, Aroma, Body, Taste, and Aftertaste.

Value: The objective is to understand how well a particular spirits brand is priced, the greater the quality offered for the price, the greater the value score will be.

Packaging: Packaging will be measured by how well judges think the product will be perceived by the consumer. The package will be judged for the Off-Premise market considering factors like label design and information, closure, and overall look. This does not involve boxes, cartons, and bags. It is how they think the product will be perceived when placed on a shelf amongst thousands of other spirits.

Commercially relevant

Crucially all the winners in the USA Spirits Ratings will give future trade spirits buyers, be they for a supermarket, specialist spirits retailer, casual dining or upmarket restaurant, the re-assurance that these are spirits that their customers want to buy.

USA Spirits Ratings organizers

The USA Spirits Ratings has been created exclusively by the Beverage Trade Network, the US drinks events, services, business, and publishing group dedicated to helping drinks producers and brand owners get closer to the buyers, distributors, and retailers that can bring their products to market.

It is part of a new wider USA drinks awards initiative that also includes The USA Wine Ratings and the USA Beer Ratings that look to reward and highlight market driven spirits and beer brands.