Announcing the Winners of the 2024 New Orleans Spirits Competition

July 25, 2024

2023 New Orleans Spirits Competition medals

With Tales of the Cocktail in full swing in New Orleans comes the announcement of the winners for the 2024 New Orleans Spirits Competition’s Spirits of the Year and Distillery of the Year. Now in its third year, this competition spotlights world-class distillers and their spirits to the global beverage community.

The 2024 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. “Judging the New Orleans Spirits Competition was a truly challenging experience,” says Clarke. “With so many great entries and so many talented producers, determining the best of the best required all the skills this team of veteran judges could bring to the table.”

“With so many great entries and so many talented producers, determining the best of the best required all the skills this team of veteran judges could bring to the table.” —Paul Clarke

Judges were seated in four-person panels and served flights of spirits without identifying information other than the class of spirit and proof. Spirits were then rated individually by each judge, with a top score of 100. Scores from each panel were then averaged. 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 22 and Tuesday, July 23 in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail. The finalists had been determined by 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 determine the best-of-class awards listed above.