The New Orleans Spirits Competition is a judging to determine the best spirits being produced today — craft brands as well as legacy brands. 
Presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, each spirit is tasted blind by a panel of industry experts, without identification, to ensure integrity and secrecy. 
The judging panels will include preeminent craft bartenders, distillers, spirits journalists and others with decades experience in the industry. 
Awards will be presented during Tales of the Cocktail, the largest and most prestigious event for serious bartenders worldwide. 

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NEW FOR 2023

A preliminary round will be held approximately two months before Tales of the Cocktail. Spirits professionals with a varieties of expertise will be seated in panels of four judge spirits. Flights of similar spirits will be served blind to each panel to evaluate in terms of appearance, aromas, flavor, mouthfeel, and finish. The panel will make tasting notes and discuss scores to arrive on a consensus, awarding medals to worthy entrants.

The top scoring spirits in each class of spirit (rum, whisky, brandy, ... etc.) will take part in a championship round. This blind tasting will conducted publicly during Tales of the cocktail, with an audience of industry professionals tasting along with the judges. The judges will publicly debate the spirits and pick a winners to be designated Gin of the Year, Vodka of the Year, Rum of the Year, ... etc. for each class of distilled spirits.
Medalists will also be invited to the Meet the Distillers Tasting on Friday of Tales of the Cocktail, where they can sample their products for bartenders, spirits buyers, and journalists in attendance.