Quality

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious spirits competitions globally. It uses blind tastings where judges evaluate entries without knowledge of the producer or price point, and assess each product on its own merit rather than directly against others. A “Gold” medal here indicates a spirit met the high-standards of expert judges across multiple criteria and is worthy of recognition at the international level.

Within the same SIP Awards framework, the “Platinum” medal signifies a class of spirits that have earned exceptional marks from the consumer-panel judges, placing them above the already high-performing “Gold” and “Double Gold” levels.

The European Spirits Challenge is an annual competition judged by Europe’s most powerful spirits-buyers, with entries accepted from producers worldwide. Tasting is conducted under “triple blind” conditions: judges know neither the brand, country of origin nor the bottle design; they don’t confer with each other. A “Gold” medal from this event reflects a high level of recognition from key European industry buyers rather than just the consumer market.

The SIP Awards are unique in that the judging is carried out exclusively by everyday consumers (not industry professionals) via a blind tasting format. The “Double Gold” medal is awarded to spirits that the consumer judges place in the top percentile of their category, distinguishing them as standout products based purely on taste, aroma and finish.

The Gold medal celebrates spirits that demonstrated a noteworthy performance in a double blind tasting with a diverse consumer panel. With scores in the upper division, Gold medal spirits are strongly recommended.

This medal from the SIP Awards recognises consistency: spirits that have achieved medal-winning status in this competition for two (or more) consecutive years. It is an indicator of enduring consumer appeal rather than a one-off win.