The Judges

All of our Global Spirits Masters competitions are judged blind by some of the finest palates in the industry, including leading distributors, educators and on-trade professionals.

• The Global Spirits Masters is the only blind-tasting competition that exclusively uses independent judges, free of any ties to specific brands. Our expert tasters are chosen according to their expertise in each category

• The judging takes place under strict conditions to guarantee complete impartiality and a fair score for each entrant

• Products are assessed blind in numbered copita tasting glasses, which are poured at a distance from the judging panels

• Each entry is marked on appearance, aroma, palate and overall balance

• At the end of each competition, all Master medallists are retasted by each judge to determine the ‘best in class’ entry which is awarded the title of ‘Taste Master’

• The single most awarded brand from each of the year’s competitions are awarded the title of Grand Spirits Master’

• The Taste Masters, Grand Spirit Masters, and the Overall Grand Spirit Master are revealed and celebrated at our annual Global Spirits Masters Awards Lunch in London at the end of the year