Announcing the Winners of the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition
Tales of the Cocktail is taking place in New Orleans, which means the winners of the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition’s Spirits of the Year and Distillery of the Year have been announced. Now in its fourth year, this renowned competition features the best of distillers and the spirits they craft.
The 2025 winners have been announced following an extensive series of blind tastings from a judging panel of esteemed bartenders, distillers, and writers, including Imbibe editor Paul Clarke. The judges blend technical skill with real-world experience, ensuring every entry is evaluated with precision and respect for craftsmanship.
Judges were seated in four-person panels and served blind flights of spirits, identified only by class of spirit and range of proof. Each spirit was rated individually on a 100-point scale, and scores from each panel were then averaged to determine medal winners. After the medals were decided, the top finishers across each category were selected for Best of Category recognition.
Spirits of the Year were selected in several rounds of public blind tasting on Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22, in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail. The finalists were determined through a preliminary round held in June, after which the six highest-scoring spirits in Gin, Rum, Liqueur, American Whiskey, World Whisky, and Agave Spirits advanced to the final round. Spirits of the Year were determined by the judges marking their top three in order. These votes determined the best-of-class awards listed above.
2025 Spirits & Distillery of the Year
Distillery of the Year
Heaven Hill Distillery
Whiskey of the Year
Balcones Lineage Single Malt by Balcones Distilling
Agave Spirit of the Year
Cardenxe Sotol de Pradera by Cardenxe Sotol
Gin of the Year
Bosque Alta Montaña by Bosque
Vodka of the Year
Irish Vodka by The Muff Liquor Company
Brandy of the Year
Cognac Hardy XO Rouge by Maison Hardy
Rum/Cane Spirit of the Year
Planteray Xaymaca Special Dry by Maison Ferrand
Specialty Spirit of the Year
Death in the Afternoon Absinthe by Key West Trading Co.
Liqueur of the Year
Savoia Orancio Vermouth by Casa Savoia
Ready to Drink Cocktail of the Year
Cutwater Gin Collins by Cutwater
No/Low Elixir of the Year
Fluère Spice Cane by Lucas Bols USA
Mixer/Syrup of the Year
Mixybar Plus Elderflower by Fabbri
For a complete list of the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition winners, click here.
The post Announcing the Winners of the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition appeared first on Imbibe Magazine.