Why the IWSC?
WHAT OUR ENTRANTS SAY
IWSC is the best awards in the drinks industry—but you don’t have to take our word for it...
Here are just a few testimonials from top-rated producers, industry experts and judges, that show how receiving an award from the International Wine & Spirit Competition can help businesses around the globe rise above their competitors. You can also visit our YouTube channel to watch a handful of interviews with some of our top-rated producers.
To receive this amazing accolade from the Oscars of our industry is equal parts overwhelming and gratifying. Considering the stature of the global peers we were up against, and with the premix cocktail category realising incredible growth in all markets, it’s an exciting time to lead the industry in innovation, flavour, and quality.Matt Sanger Managing Director, Curatif
We couldn’t be more excited to enter one of the premier award organizations in the world. As we entered the UK market in 2023, we knew the awards would have an impact on brand awareness and allow us the opportunity to share our brand with an entirely new community. When we won the award for highest rated bourbon in the world, our team was beyond honored. To close out the year as the Worldwide Whiskey Producer of the Year, it was an exciting milestone for the entire organization and truly a special accomplishment to celebrate the amazing work from our team.Brandon Smith Brand Manager, Bardstown Bourbon Company
Aleksandar Runchev Oenologist, PODRUM PALIĆ 1896 DOOWinning the Fruit Spirits Producer of the Year award at a prestigious competition like the IWSC provides instant credibility. It reinforces the trust that consumers and industry professionals have in our brand and products. The recognition from the IWSC generates media attention and can lead to increased visibility for our brand. It can open doors to new markets and distribution channels. In a crowded market, an IWSC win sets us apart from the competition. It's a valuable point of differentiation that can sway consumer choices.
Cameron Mackenzie Co-Founder & Head Distiller, Four Pillars GinThe IWSC is an important competition and has been since we launched Four Pillars in 2013. Whilst it is the ideal opportunity to benchmark our gins against the best in the world, we also value the feedback on some of our smaller batches and innovations. The judging panels are exceptional and the format of the show is second to none.
Team at, HAMADA SYUZOU Co., LtdAmong the world's leading spirits competitions, the IWSC has a particularly long history. It is a great honor for us to have been awarded the Shochu Producer Trophy in 2023, which means that we are highly regarded as a 'shochu producer' by the world's spirits experts. Participation in the IWSC has value beyond the competition itself. We will use this award as a driving force to continue to develop our products with confidence and expand globally. With "Tradition", "Innovation" and "Heritage" as our firm axes, we will continue our efforts to spread honkaku shochu around the world.
Larry & Edwina Cherubino Founders, CherubinoWe have a very dedicated team, with some members who have been with us for much of the journey. This award is a fitting reward and recognition for their efforts, as much an achievement for them professionally as for Cherubino. We hope that this award puts Australia firmly back into focus as there are many producers that also deserve such an award and recognition.
2023 Outstanding Wine Producer, 2023 White Wine Producer Trophy
We have spent a considerable amount of time researching wine awards across all our key markets, and prioritised the IWSC Awards because they are so highly-regarded in the drinks industry – not just in the UK, but around the world. We could see that doing well – whether it be getting a gold medal or a Trophy – can be very impactful. We are already known as a sustainable and regenerative organic wine brand, so to be recognised like this for our quality as well is immensely gratifying and something which further spreads the benefits of working regeneratively to the wider wine community.Susan-Anne Cosgrove Vice President of Global Marketing, Origins Organic Imports (Domaine Bousquet)
Ian Blessing Co-Founder & Owner, All The BitterWe entered the IWSC because of the competition's strong standing within the spirits world, the rigorous judging process and panel, and especially due to the IWSC's attention to the non-alcoholic category. Many competitions have been slow to really embrace NA drinks, often lumping us together with other categories that don't really make any sense. At the IWSC we felt we had a fair place at the table, and were being judged appropriately.
The Producer Trophy recognition is a huge deal for us. It adds significantly to our consumer trust with a mention in our Instagram bio, on stickers that we'll begin adding to bottles soon, and it leads my sales emails.
Alexander Kong Commercial Manager - Spirits, Worthy Park EstateWe get approached by many spirit competitions all over the world and when we evaluated the benefits of each one, we decided that entering our brands in IWSC is no-brainer! When you consider the longevity of the competition, the knowledgeable, experienced and talented judges and of course the quality of the entries this is a competition where winning a medal means a lot. It’s not one of the contests where everyone gets a medal and winning a Gold, Silver or Bronze actually means something! Lastly, the exposure winning medals at IWSC – much less Rum Producer of the Year – brings is priceless.
“Despite the export challenges over recent years, we have experienced incredible growth across Tomatin’s whisky portfolio here in the UK and beyond - and this really is a fantastic moment for us to take-stock and celebrate just how far we’ve come. We have worked incredibly hard on our product range over the years; and we continue to commit ourselves to crafting the very best tasting Highland whisky, so it’s brilliant to be recognised in this way by IWSC”.Stephen Bremner Managing Director, Tomatin
2022 Outstanding Spirits Producer
In a competition where the bar is high – the IWSC wine judging process is fair but demanding so achieving a medal is meaningful.Rebecca Palmer Wine Buyer, Corney & Barrow
One of the biggest successes we can point to off the back of our IWSC awards, are the largescale customers we have won as a direct result of the award.John Hall Founder & Distiller, Trevethan Distillery
2021 UK Gin Producer Trophy
Guy Hodcroft Spirits Buyer, Bordeaux IndexSome of the most discerning and demanding palates in the spirits industry can be found at the IWSC’s judging sessions, so achieving any kind of medal is no mean feat!
Nick King New Product Development Manager, WSETThe IWSC is judged by a very broad range of people who have a great depth of experience in the industry. If they're going ‘this is good’, it gives you [the producer] a very solid sense of – ‘yes I'm on the right track.’
Billy Abbott Whisky and fine spirits expert, The Whisky ExchangeAn IWSC accolade is one of the key pieces of getting your name out there, to actually tell people not only that you exist but also that you have quality, that you are a great product.
The IWSC is a great platform to benchmark your wines against some of the best, and the coverage you can get off the back of it is incredible.The winemaking team Langham Wine Estate
There are a lot of spirits competitions out there these days. Pretty soon we might even need a competition for the best competitions! If ever such a day arrived, it’s a safe bet that the IWSC would take home a 'double gold'.Brad Japhe Writer, Forbes
Awards give trust – not everybody is familiar with Cognac, so it’s important that they can trust awards, especially when they are famous like IWSC.Francis Abécassis Owner, ABK6, France
IWSC has been there for 50 years, so it’s the main recognition in the wine industry, and everyone knows it. Our award will help the business for sure.Gaelle Goossens Winemaker, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, France
When we’re talking to new partners, having this award to say that our spirits are great quality makes a difference when at the negotiation table.Nick Ravenhall Managing Director, ATOM Brands, UK
I like the breadth that IWSC offers. No longer are we just focusing on the major players, we’re looking at new regions where wine can be great.Madeline Puckette Co-founder, Wine Folly, USA
This award will help my business a lot. I’m an export producer, so I sell more than one third in export markets, and IWSC is well-known around the world.Rudi Rabl Winemaker, Weingut Rabl, Austria
IWSC helped us to realise that we were on the right track at such an early and influential time in our growth as a craft spirits producer.Michael Harris Director, Mountain Distilling Company, Australia
IWSC is a standard and a benchmark for quality, which is independent and utilises the best in the industry to judge the best in the industry.Jamie Matthewson Buying Manager, Waitrose, UK
IWSC is the pinnacle. We work hard to encourage brands to join our portfolio, so for them to see that we’ve won this award is very helpful.David Hood General Manager, Spirit Cartel, UK
IWSC not only heavily influences our buying decisions, but makes decisions easier. If you’ve tried a good wine, of course you’re going to buy it.Stefan Neumann MS Head Sommelier, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The response to our award from gin drinkers in Finland and further beyond was fantastic, and our sales over the years have grown over five-fold.Miika Lipiäinen CEO, Kyrö Distillery, Finland
IWSC is the most relevant wine award in the world. This is the only one we enter, to measure ourselves against our peers in the industry.Abrie Beeslaar Winemaker, Kanonkop, South Africa
Wine awards are super important. You’re judged at a similar level to other wines and to come out on top means that people trust what you’re doing.Tamara Roberts CEO, Ridgeview Wine Estate, UK