Last Tuesday, as more than a 160,000 conference-goers attended Dreamforce 2015, we were fortunate enough to attend a much smaller but equally prestigious event—the San Francisco Competitions Double Gold Tour, held at DOSA on Fillmore and hosted by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and San Francisco International Wine Competition.
For those unfamiliar with these competitions, they are regarded as some the most respected ones in the world in their categories. Winning any medal is an honor and achievement that often catapults a product to even greater future success, and the coveted Double Gold is only awarded to the absolute best spirits in each category.
The SF World Spirits competition is judged via blind tasting by an annually-selected panel of industry experts, which includes members of media, spirits buyers, and world-renowned mixologists. This year’s competition broke all previous records, with more than 1,580 individual spirit products entered—and we were lucky enough to try some of the winners, 2015’s best spirits in the world.
Double Gold Spirits Tasting
The tasting featured a selection of the Double Gold winners from the 2015 competition, held back in March. We sampled products across many categories including vodka, gin, tequila, pisco, baijiu, bourbon, Scotch, grappa, and even some pre-mixed cocktails. The urge to drink more than a sip of each was, as you can imagine, a bit overwhelming, but we dutifully resisted the temptation as we made our way down the product lineup.
Many of these spirits are not yet available for purchase in California, and as you’ll read below, in some cases not in the United States or anywhere at all. Several brands had their representatives present, who were very generous in sharing their fantastic stories with us.
Tepoz Silver Tequila (Jalisco, Mexico)
Tepoz Silver Tequila is the first product from newcomer Tepoz Tequila. It’s a premium spirit with a suggested retail price of $55-$60 USD. We found this to be a balanced tequila, fragrant on the nose and smooth on the palate.
Stephen Morocco, the proprietor behind Tepoz, shared some additional facts:
- The Tepoz name was inspired by the Aztec god of alcohol and merriment, Tepoztecatl
- Only robust, Blue Weber agave plants used, hand-cut to the core and slow cooked over 28 hours in small batches
- 100% estate grown (unlike most other tequilas)
- Triple-distilled to maximize purity and smoothness (most tequilas are double-distilled)
- Cold-filtered
Morocco entered his tequila in three separate spirits competitions, and won awards in each: Double Gold at the SF Spirits Competition, Silver Medal at the 2015 Denver Spirits Competition, and Silver Medal at the 2015 Los Angeles Spirits Competition. Not bad for a first release!
Although not yet available for purchase, Tepoz is currently in discussions with distributors and we look forward to its availability soon.
Desert Dry Gin (Arizona, USA)
This was an excellent sipping gin, fragrant on the nose with hints of spice, and robust in flavor. The juniper is present but not overpowering. Slightly overproof at 42.5% alcohol.
Jon Eagan of Arizona Distilling Co. tells us about the inspiration behind Desert Dry Gin: “We were inspired by the five Cs that shaped the 20th century Arizona economy (copper, cotton, cattle, climate & citrus), and set out to create a gin representative of our home state. So we came up with our own five Cs in the form of botanicals: coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and citrus.”
The end result? A smooth, drinkable gin that is well-balanced and with broad appeal to both gin drinkers and non-gin drinkers alike.
This is not yet available for sale in California, and at the time of the tasting there was not a suggested retail price yet. We will update this when a price does become available.
Maracame Añejo Tequila (Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico)
This is a wonderful tequila—complex and full-flavored, yet soft on the tongue and smooth on the finish. The producer, Tequila Supremo, owns its own agave fields, enabling it to oversee the entire production process from A to Z. We got to chat a bit with Maria Soto of Global Beverage Team (managers of the spirits portfolio that includes Maracame) who shared these other facts with us:
- The agave is cooked in traditional stone ovens for 72 hours, which yields the richest honeys for production (in contrast, many large tequila producers have a cooking period of 12-18 hours)
- Then it goes through a lengthy fermentation process of up to 8 days, before being double-distilled
- Maracame is unique in that the “heart” that is cut (the best part of the distillate) is unusually small, ensuring that only the most refined part of the liquid is bottled for consumption
- Finally, the parts that we love the best, Tequila Supremo makes a point of giving back to the community that helps to market and sell Maracame. They’re also a 100% environmentally-friendly producer, with everything in the growing, fermentation, and distillation processes being either recycled or repurposed materials
And, with a suggested price point of $52 USD, this is a premium tequila that won’t break the bank. Unfortunately for us, it is not yet available for purchase in California.
Nohrlund Strawberry Rhubarb Vodka Cocktail (Denmark)
This was a surprise delight to our day, and the last spirit product we tasted. It is a pre-mixed bottled cocktail (which, admittedly, is something we’ve turned our noses up at in the past), but it was surprisingly nuanced. We tasted three flavors, and all three were delicious.
The Double Gold winner, the Strawberry Rhubarb Vodka Cocktail, was probably the sweetest of the bunch, but nevertheless made for an excellent drink. The other flavors—one with elderflower, ginger, and gin, and another with sea buckthorn, rosehip, and rum—were truly fantastic, and catered to a wide range of palates.
Søren Aamand, the Managing Director and bartender behind Nohrlund, was looking for a way to take some of his popular cocktail recipes from his bar and make them available to consumers around the world, and decided bottling his recipes was a way to accomplish that.
As the other products, this product is not yet available here in California or in the United States at all. With a suggested retail price of $6 USD, it is comparable to wine coolers and other pre-mixed, single-serving libations.
The Rest of the Lineup
And here are the rest of the spirits we tasted yesterday (in no particular order), as well as all of the Best of and Best in Show winners.
| Sin Ultra Premium Vodka Nevada, USA 40% ABV, ($25) |
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| Best Vodka | Woody Creek Colorado 100% Potato Vodka Washington, USA 40% ABV, ($32) |
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| Best Flavored Vodka | Nue Grapefruit Vodka Texas, USA 35% ABV, ($12) |
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| Ferdinand Sard Gin Saar, Germany 44% ABV, ($35) |
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| G+ London Dry Gin Austria 44% ABV, ($36) |
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| Strange Monkey Gin Virginia, USA 40% ABV, ($29) |
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| Best Gin | Master’s Dry Gin Barcelona, Spain 43.9% ABV, ($29) |
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| Best Flavored Gin | Duncan Taylor Indian Summer Gin Saffron Infused Scotland 46% ABV, ($30) |
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| Best Pisco Best in Show Unaged White Spirit |
Kappa Pisco Elqui Valley, Chile 42.5% ABV, ($35) |
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| Best Baiju | Shui Jing Fang Baiju Sichuan, China 52% ABV, ($60) |
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| J.P. Trodden Small Batch Bourbon Washington, USA 45% ABV, ($60) |
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| Best Straight Bourbon | Blade & Bow Deluxe Bourbon Kentucky, USA 46% ABV |
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| Best Bourbon Best Small Batch Bourbon |
Knob Creek Bourbon Kentucky, USA 50% ABV, ($31) |
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| Best Special Barrel Finished Bourbon | Belle Meade Bourbon Sherry Cask Finish Indiana/Tennessee, USA 45.2% ABV, ($75) |
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| Best Craft Distiller Whiskey | Westland Distillery Sherry Wood American Single Malt Washington, USA 46% ABV, ($70) |
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| Best Tennessee Whiskey | George Dickel Superior No. 12 Tennessee Whiskey Tennessee, USA 45% ABV, ($25) |
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| Best Rye | WhistlePig Old World Series Rye Sauternes Finish Vermont/Indiana, USA 45% ABV, ($118) |
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| Best Canadian Whisky | Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel Canadian Whisky Canada 51.5% ABV, ($40) |
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| Best Other Whiskey | Suntory The Yamazaki 18 YO Single Malt Whisky Japan 43% ABV |
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| Best Flavored Whiskey | Southern Shine Apple Pie Moonshine USA 50% ABV |
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| Best Blended Irish Whiskey | Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey Ireland 46% ABV, ($40) |
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| Best Irish Whiskey Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey |
Glendalough 13 YO Single Malt Irish Whiskey Ireland 46% ABV, ($85) |
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| Best Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey | Redbreast 15 YO Irish Whiskey Ireland 46% ABV, ($90) |
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| Buchanan’s Master Blended Scotch Scotland 40% ABV, ($36) |
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| Wemyss Malts 12 Year Old The Hive Scotch Speyside, Scotland 40% ABV, ($74) |
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| Oban Little Bay Single Malt Scotch Highland, Scotland 43% ABV, ($75) |
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| Best Single Malt Scotch up to 12 Years | Talisker 10 YO Single Malt Scotch Islands, Scotland 45.8% ABV, ($65) |
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| Best Single Malt Scotch 13-19 Years | Lagavulin 16 YO Single Malt Scotch Islay, Scotland 43% ABV, ($88) |
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| Best Blended Scotch up to 15 Years | Duncan Taylor Smokin’ Scotch Scotland 40% ABV, ($30) |
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| Best Blended Scotch 16 Years and Older | Alexander Murray Monumental Blended Scotch Scotland 40% ABV, ($126) |
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| Best Blended Scotch No Age Statement | John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2015 Edition Scotch Scotland 40% ABV, ($815) |
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| Best Single Malt Scotch No Age Statement | Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Islands, Scotland 45.8% ABV, ($65) |
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| Best Blended Malt Scotch | The Spice Tree Vatted Malt Whisky Highland, Scotland 46% ABV, ($70) |
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| Revel Chion Grappa Di Moscato Torino, Italy 42% ABV |
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| Best Grappa | Villa de Varda Amarone Grappa Riserva Italy 40% ABV, ($60) |
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| Best Dark/Gold Rum | Bundaberg Small Batch Rum Master Distillers’ Collection Australia 40% ABV, ($50) |
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| Best Rum Best Extra-Aged Rum Best in Show Aged White Spirit |
Parce 12 Year Old Rum Colombia 40% ABV, ($60) |
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| Best Over-Proof Rum | Don Q 151 Rum Puerto Rico 75% ABV, ($25) |
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| Best Cachaça | Playboy Silver Cachaça Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil 40% ABV, ($36) |
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| Best Silver Tequila | Tequila 512 Blanco Tequila Jalisco, Mexico 40% ABV, ($25) |
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| Best Tequila Best Reposado Tequila |
Villa Lobos Reposado Tequila Jalisco, Mexico 40% ABV, ($47) |
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| Best Añejo Tequila | El Tesoro Añejo Tequila Jalisco, Mexico 40% ABV, ($60) |
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| Best Extra-Añejo Tequila | Alquimia Organic Extra-Añejo Tequila Jalisco, Mexico 40% ABV, ($130) |
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| Best Mezcal | Cruz De Fuego Mezcal Joven Matatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico 40% ABV, ($50) |
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| Best Single Malt Scotch – 20 Years and Older Best in Show Whisky |
Craigellachie 23 YO Single Malt Scotch Speyside, Scotland 46% ABV |
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| Best Cognac Best Cognac Extra-Aged Best in Show Brandy |
GAUTIER Tradition Rare Cognac Charente, France 41.2% ABV |
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| Best Fruit Liqueur Best in Show Liqueur |
CROIZET Liqueur d’Orange au Cognac France 40% ABV |
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| Best Herbal/Botanical Liqueur | Cynar Artichoke Liqueur Italy 16.5% ABV, ($30) |
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| Best Nut Liqueur | Bloomery SweetShine Black Walnut Liqueur West Virginia, USA 34.2% ABV, ($24) |
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| Best Other Liqueur | Tiramisú Liqueur Italy 24% ABV, ($28) |
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| Best Cognac VS | Cognac Meukow Cognac VS Cognac, France 40% ABV, ($28) |
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| Best Cognac VSOP | Camus Cognac Borderies VSOP Cognac, France 40% ABV, ($46) |
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| Best Cognac XO | Claude Chatelier Cognac XO Cognac, France 40% ABV, ($40) |
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| Best Calvados VSOP | Père Magloire Calvados VSOP Pays d’Auge, France 40% ABV, ($40) |
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| Best Spanish Grape Brandy | Torres Jaime I Reserva De La Familia Region Penedès, Spain 38% ABV, ($130) |
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| The Tasting Panel Magazine Distillery of the Year | Kavalan Taiwan |
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| Importer of the Year | Diageo North America New York |
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| Director’s Award | Beam Suntory Deerfield, Illinois |
