Gatsby Spirits and Patique Tie for Best of Show Honors
February 9, 2021 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been announced for the 2020 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition, which took place in Santa Rosa, Calif., in December 2020. For the first time, a pair of entries shared Best of Show honors: Oregon-based Gatsby Spirits wowed judges with its corn vodka, The Tides, as did California-based Patique’s cherry liqueur.
“Winning Best of Show—and Best of Class for our Cinn City cinnamon whiskey—gives us industry credibility and verifies that our spirits have distinctive flavors that stand out,” says co-founder and President John Scaramucich. Judges’ notes for The Tides vodka included “crisp, full flavored,” “clean from start to finish,” and “complex, yet subtle.”
“The recognition is impressive,” continues Scaramucich. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to share with our business partners and our customers. And of course, for our team, it’s simply so gratifying.”
Patique is a truly hand-crafted affair, distilled from fruit grown on the Azpeitia family’s San Joaquin Valley farm. Judges commented “like drinking a cherry orchard,” “notes of ripe cherry and plum, “lovely and elegant.” Brand founder Patti Azpeitia says, “We are very proud of our product, but to have experts judge our product and give us this outstanding award, it’s awesome! Our product is very unique and this award will help us get our name out to more people. The exposure confirms to customers that our product is worth trying and adding to their bar inventory.”
Debra Del Fiorentino, who owns, manages, and produces professional competitions in the wine, cider and spirits categories, established the Craft Distillers Spirits Competition in 2017 to give smaller producers a place to shine without being overshadowed by the “big boys.” Any distiller that is bonded and sells is spirits publicly can enter. The 2020 competition saw the numbers of entries nearly double over its predecessor.
“As a fairly young competition, we’re still experiencing growth in our entry pool as word gets out,” says Del Fiorentino. “It’s absolutely the right time to spotlight small producers, many of which are struggling for survival right now. Any support we can offer to keep these amazing craft distilleries in business is definitely worth our efforts.”
The competition is judged by fellow distillers, well-known sommeliers, and retail buyers, giving the results professional weight and increasing marketing opportunities for medal winners. A full list of gold medal winners follows this announcement.
The next Craft Distillers Spirits Competition will take place December 14-15, 2021; deadline for entry is December 6, 2021.
For more information, visit Wine and Spirit Competitions Management and Production at https://www.winecompetitions.com
2020 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition Gold Medals and Above
Best of Show (tie)
- Patique Cherry Liqueur
- Gatsby Spirits, The Tides Vodka
Bourbon
Gold Medal
- Bluegrass Distillers, Single Barrel KY Straight Blue Corn Bourbon
Gin
Best of Class
- Redmont Distilling Co., Vulcan Gin
Double Gold
Urban Press Spirits, Affinity Gin
Gold Medal
- Blacksmith Distillery, Quench Tank Gin
- New Amsterdam Original Gin
- Three Crosses, Old Buckingham 14 Gin
Liqueurs
Best of Class
- Patique Cherry Liqueur
Tequila
Best of Class
- Familia Camarena, Tequila Silver
Gold Medal
- Familia Camarena, Tequila Gold
Vodka
Best of Class
- Gatsby Spirits, The Tides Vodka
Double Gold
- Satellite Spirits Inc., South Fork Vodka
Gold Medal
- New Amsterdam Vodka
- New Amsterdam 100 Proof Vodka
Whiskey
Best of Class
- Gatsby Spirits, Cinn City Cinnamon Whiskey
Gold Medal
- Three Crosses, American Whiskey
Brandy
Best of Class
- E&J Gallo Apple Brandy
- E&J Gallo XO Brandy
- Öömrang Raspberry Brandy (Eau de Vie)
Gold Medal
- Öömrang Bartlett Pear Brandy
