THE 15TH ANNUAL
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
March 19-22, 2015, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco
2015 CALL FOR ENTRIES
ENTRY DEADLINE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
www.sfspiritscomp.com
The most respected
and ­influential
spirits ­competition
in the United States,
now in its 15th year.
1,474 spirits brands in 2014
from 64 countries.
39 renowned judges.
Immeasurable prestige.
Marketable results.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was
founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief
of The Tasting Panel Magazine, Director of the San
Francisco International Wine Competition, nationally
syndicated columnist, radio personality, and worldrenowned expert in judging fine wines and spirits.
Tony Abou-Ganim, “The Modern Mixologist” and recognized spirits authority, is a Master Mixologist and the
Competition’s Director of Judging.
The Competition is judged by spirits experts from noted
restaurants and hotels, well-known spirits journalists
from major national media, spirits buyers for large purveyors, and spirits consultants.
Judging, based on a blind, consensual procedure,
ensures competitive integrity and makes San Francisco
World Spirits Competition awards the most respected
and coveted in the world.
Enter online or by using the enclosed entry forms. For
more information visit our Web site, call the Competition
office at (415) 345-9000, or contact us by e-mail at
info@sfspiritscomp.com.
Premium Awards
“Best of Show” awards give special recognition to the top spirits in specific spirit
categories, as well as in the broader categories of Best Aged and Unaged White
Spirits, Best Whiskey/Whisky, Best Brandy,
and Best Liqueur. Each winner will receive a
­custom-etched plate bearing the name of the
product and its Best of Show designation.
“Distiller of the Year” and “Importer of the
Year” awards recognize the single distiller
and importer earning the most points, measured by the number and level of awards
won. The Distiller and Importer of the Year
will each receive a beautiful etched award
plate, s­ pecially ­created to commemorate the
accomplishment.
Awards by Category
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals are presented to ­spirits receiving a consensus
vote by the panel of judges for each
such award level. Double Gold
Medals are reserved for
those spirits that receive
a unanimous vote for a
Gold Medal by all judges
on a panel. Medal winners will receive award
certificates and corresponding ­medallions.
All entrants will be notified of results by
e-mail, and a list of w
­ inning entries will be
posted on our Web site following
the Competition.
Bottle Stickers and
Medallion Artwork
to Promote Your
Award
Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and
Bronze Medal winners may
independently p
­ urchase selfadhesive bottle stickers to
promote their awards.
High-quality, high-resolution
medallion a
­ rtwork will also be
available for licensed repro­d­uction in
winners’ print and online promotions.
National Press
Coverage Promoting
All Winners
The Competition will a
­ nnounce results to all
major wine, spirit, and food publications and
major media in the U.S., as well as to media
in the top medal winners’ regional markets.
The Tasting Panel Magazine, with a readership of 65,000 in the beverage trade, will
report all Gold, Double Gold, and P
­ remium
Award winners in its June 2015 issue.
National Tasting
Tour for Top Award
Recipients
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition
will invite all 2015 Double Gold Medal
winners to participate in high-profile wine
and spir­its trade tastings on our annual
Double Gold Tour, promoted by The Tasting
Panel Magazine. The Tour provides these
winners a tre­mendous opportunity for
trade and media exposure in select
key U.S. markets. The 11-event
2014 tour visited San Francisco,
Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami,
New York, Washington DC,
Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Las
Vegas, and Dallas.
2015 Packaging Design Competition
A separate competition,
judged by a distinguished
panel of graphic and
packaging design
professionals, recognizes excellence
in spirits packaging design.
Please review
­entry rules accompanying
this brochure, or
download them
from our Web site.
PHOTOS: NIKKI RITCHER (JUDGING); ELEMENTS GROUP (STILL IMAGES); GEOFFREY NELSON (2014 DESIGN COMPETITION)
2015 Competition Judges
Anthony Dias Blue, Executive Director
PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG
President, Blue Lifestyle; Editor-in-Chief, The Tasting Panel Magazine
Executive Director, San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Executive Director, San Francisco International Wine Competition
Tony Abou-Ganim, Director of Judging
Master Mixologist, The Modern Mixologist
PHOTO: LEON BORENSTEIN
Beverage Development, Wirtz Beverage Nevada, Las Vegas
David Mahoney
Wine & Spirits Writer, Minneapolis
Meridith May
Publisher & Executive Editor, The Tasting Panel Magazine / Publisher and
Editorial Director, SOMM Journal, Los Angeles
Erik Adkins
Tim McDonald, CSS
Bridget Albert
Fred Minnick
Stephen Beal
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Beverage Director, Slanted Door Group, San Francisco
PHOTOS: NIKKI RITCHER
Drew Levinson
Mixologist, Southern Wine & Spirits, Chicago
President, Wine Spoken Here, Napa
Wine & Spirits Journalist, Louisville
Keeper of the Quaich, Senior Master of Whisky, Consultant & Educator,
San Francisco
Bar Manager/Founder, Clyde Common/RepealDay.org, Portland
Kent Bearden, CSS
Author, Trade Writer, Beverage Consultant, BarMedia, Tucson
Robert Plotkin
Master Mixologist, Craft Brand Specialist, Wirtz Beverage Nevada,
Las Vegas
Julie Reiner
Julio Bermejo
Patricia Richards
Tequila Master/Spirits Buyer, Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant,
San Francisco
Brian Bowden
Co-owner/Mixologist, Flatiron Lounge & Clover Club, New York
Proprietor & CEO, Bar Chef Biz, Inc., Las Vegas
Jack Robertiello
Writer and Consultant, Drinks Ink, New York
VP Spirits, Beer, Tobacco, Beverages / GMM New Markets, BevMo!,
Concord
Jim Romdall
Mark Bowery
Max Solano
Wine & Spirits Consultant, Mark Bowery Consulting, Mendocino
Joseph Brooke
Mixologist/Director of Spirits, The Edison, Los Angeles
Derek Brown
Co-owner/Mixologist, The Passenger and Columbia Room,
Washington, DC
Jackson Cannon
Mixologist/Bar Director, The Hawthorne, Island Creek Oyster Bar,
and Eastern Standard, Boston
Jerry Cooper
Proprietor, Swirl on Castro, San Francisco
Aidan Demarest
Mixologist, Spirits Consultant, Educator, Aragona, Seattle
Mixologist & Beverage Manager, Emeril’s Restaurants at The Venetian and
Palazzo Resorts and Hotels, Las Vegas
Kevin M. Vogt, MS
Wine & Spirits Director, Emeril’s Restaurants, Las Vegas
Levi Walker
Crafts Spirits Manager, Young’s Market Company, San Diego
David Wondrich
Author, Mixologist, Spirits Writer, and Cocktail Historian, Esquire Magazine,
Saveur, New York
(CSS - Certified Spirits Specialist; MS - Master Sommelier;
MW - Master of Wine)
Beverage Manager, Spare Room, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LA
Tony Devencenzi
Mixology Ambassador for Northern California, Diageo North America, SF
H. Joseph Ehrmann
Proprietor, Elixir, San Francisco
2015 Competition Sponsors
■ The
Tasting Panel Magazine
www.tastingpanelmag.com
Ziggy Eschliman
The Wine Gal and Countess of Cocktails, Wine Country Radio,
Santa Rosa
■
lements Group
E
Designers of the Competition’s Web site
www.elementsgroup.com
■
rsilica – The Neat Glass
A
Supplier of the official glassware for j­udging of the
Competition www.theneatglass.com
Michael Feil
GM/Wine & Spirits Buyer, Jupiter Island Club, Hobe Sound, FL
Doug Frost, MS, MW
Wine and Spirits Writer/Consultant, Kansas City
David Grapshi
Tequila National Sales Manager, Sazerac/Gemini, Walnut Creek
Kim Haasarud
Founder, Liquid Architecture, Phoenix
Richard Carleton Hacker
Spirits Journalist, Robb Report; The Tasting Panel Magazine, LA
Steven Izzo
Beverage Director, Waterbar, San Francisco
Charles Joly
Mixologist/Beverage Director, Aviary, Chicago
Francesco Lafranconi
So. Wine & Spirits, Nat’l. Dir. Mixology & Spirits Education, Las Vegas
www.sfspiritscomp.com
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015.
Enter online or with the forms accompanying this brochure. For more information, visit our Web site at www.sfspiritscomp.com, call the
Competition office at (415) 345-9000, or contact us by e-mail at info@sfspiritscomp.com.
Copyright © 2014, 2015 San Francisco Competition. All rights reserved.