Are you better than the best? Can your spirit stack up to the 2023 Sunset International Spirits Competition champions? If you're ready to grab gold in your category, enter today! Best of the Best Pendray's Distillery Brandy XO Best Liqueur Brucato Amaro  Chapparal Best Vodka Royal Mash Royal Mash Vintage 2020 Best Vodka Flavored/Infused Jewell Distillery, Inc. Jewell Citron Vodka Best Other Agave Spirits Venus Spirits El Ladrón Yolo - CA Roasted Agave Best Tequila Cierto Tequila Private Collection, Extra Añejo Best Whiskey Savage & Cooke Savage & Cooke Bourbon Whiskey Best Gin Hinterhaus Distilling South Grove Gin Best Mezcal Cutwater Spirits Cutwater Mezcal Reposado Best Ready to Drink Cutwater Spirits Cutwater Spicy Bloody Mary Best Hard Seltzer High Noon High Noon Grapefruit Think your spirit can take top spot in 2024? Enter Today!

One of the larger industry trends reflected here at LibDib is the proliferation of craft tequila and mezcal brands. These brands have amazing stories behind them and we love supporting small importers and distilleries. So do our retail, bar and restaurant customers throughout our 15 states.   Here’s a sample of a few of the most amazing craft tequila and mezcal brands: Black Sheep Tequila: For spirits connoisseurs craving a taste for something new, yet extraordinarily steeped in tradition, Black Sheep Tequila provides a line of tequilas produced entirely from the labor-intensive, centuries-old, hands-on process. This tequila is sourced from only the highest-quality 100 percent Weber Blue Agave and is traditionally handcrafted to create the perfect balance of flavors. Additive free, Black Sheep shares clean unique styles of tequila, including the famous Still Strength Aged 15 Year Extra Añejo, Barrel Strength Extra Añejo, Extra Añejo, Añejo, Reposa

JUNE 28, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the 17th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place June 10-12 in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  “As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines,” says Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC. “And even though entry is open to all winemakers regardless of gender, I found it gratifying that six of this year’s sweepstakes wines were created by women. And our overall wine winner also was named Best Woman Winemaker

Despite the prevailing gloom and doom in the trade press, there's a silver lining for many adult beverage brands. They're not just surviving; they're thriving with double-digit growth and more! This article examines adult beverage brands' strategies to thrive in the current market.  This excerpt is from Ben Salisbury's speech at this week's webinar. Reserve your spot here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3717134754795/WN_iFljab26T9q_cLmO5jjSyQ#/registration  Times have changed. Have YOU?  Before we dive into the 3 keys to boosting your revenue, let’s briefly set the stage. The 3-tier landscape has dramatically shifted within the past six or seven years, with the extreme proliferation of new brands and a historic consolidation within the wholesale tier.  The result has been an immense reduction in the capabilities of wine and spirits distributors of all sizes. The ratio of brands to sales reps has become ridiculo

If you are happy with your current sales level and are on track to hit all of your depletion and revenue goals in 2024, this article is not for you. Just hit your back button and return to whatever you were busy doing before this headline caught your eye. But if growing your sales and hitting your goals are high on your list of things that occupy your waking (or supposed-to-be-sleeping) hours, please read on.  Why a Great Product Isn’t Enough to Achieve Sales Success Here is an interesting observation: Most wine and spirits companies need to grow their sales. Some of them quite desperately. The typical methods they deploy to attack this objective almost always involve the same twelve things: Craft compelling stories to sell their products Emphasize the features and benefits of their products Pursue awards and accolades Spend small fortunes on social media and influencer marketing Spend even larger fortunes on brand awareness Pursue liquid-to-lips opportunities Conduct marke

OAK FARM VINEYARDS AND STEELBOUND DISTILLERY TAKE TOP HONORS IN 2024 LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS CHALLENGE  MARCH 6, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the third annual Los Angeles Invitational Wine & Spirits Challenge. A Barbera from Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi, Calif., and a Bourbon from Steelbound Brewery & Distillery in Ellicotville, N.Y., topped their fields to be named Best of the Best.  The competition was established in 2022, in conjunction with Los Angeles-based beverage professionals (representing both the on- and off-premise channels), to highlight the best of the best wine and spirits producers in the world, and to introduce those producers to the largest market of consumers in the United States.  Judging took place February 26-28, 2024. Says event producer Debra Del Fiorentino of Wine & Spirits Competitions Management & Production, “The competition grew again this year to attract close to 1,100 entries, and our

Best of the Best Awarded to Garrison Brothers Distillery’s Guadalupe Whiskey December 18, 2023 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been announced for the 2023 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition, which took place in Santa Rosa, Calif., earlier this month. Taking the top spot this year is Guadalupe, a Texas straight bourbon whiskey finished in a port cask from Garrison Brothers Distilling in Hye, Texas. Judges described Guadalupe as “Very elegant”; “Warm finish”; “Delicious.” Garrison Brothers Master Distiller Donnis Todd says, “What sets Guadalupe apart is the unique Texas climate, with its dramatic temperature fluctuations, and our careful selection of the right wet port barrels. This combination is key to Guadalupe’s distinctiveness. Our goal was to capture and highlight the port notes, offering bourbon enthusiasts the same thrilling experience I get when discovering these exceptional barrels in our barns. “The visc

From premium label design and production to a people-first culture to an industry-leading sustainability initiative, “innovation” drives all aspects of Eurostampa’s business. One of the leading global suppliers of high-quality labels for the premium spirits and food industry, Eurostampa has six production facilities throughout North America and Europe – including headquarters in Bene Vagienna, Italy, and Cincinnati, OH, USA. The company’s mission to “create beauty that inspires emotions” is made possible only by its people’s passion to elevate the standards of what a label can be. Family has been at the heart of Eurostampa’s business since Luciano Cillario started the company in 1966 in Italy. After running the business for almost 60 years, Cillario turned the business over earlier this year to his sons, Gianmario (chief executive officer), Gianfranco (head of European facilities), and Giuseppe (global sales and marketing director)

Best of the Best Awarded to Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. Barrel Aged Shine  December 21, 2022 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been announced for the 2022 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition, which took place in Santa Rosa, Calif., earlier this month. Taking the top spot this year is Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. Barrel Aged Shine, a limited production release from the Blairsville, Ga., producer.  The distillery is named for famed bootlegger Jack “Mimm” McClure, whose great-grandson, Tommy Townsend, founded the company using the secret family recipe. Judges described the Barrel Aged Shine as “sexy,” “earthy,” “rich,” “velvety” and “full of holiday spices,” At the end of the competition, the Shine took a Best Whiskey, Best of Class, double gold medal as well as Best of the Best honors. The distillery’s Sorghum Rum also won Best of Class honors (see list below).  Debra