ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE^® 2020 Results Announced 

July 23, 2020 (Hawthorne, NY) – Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC), since 2010 the world’s most prestigious global spirits competition, today releases the results of the 2020 Challenge. This year proved to be the eleventh consecutive year of record entries from more than 45 spirit-producing nations.

The judging, held throughout June and July, determined 45 Chairman’s Trophy winners, 237 Finalists, 167 Great Values, and 88 Tried & True Award winners. USC was once again held at the custom-designed Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) Evaluation Center in Hawthorne, NY.

Says UBC Founder and Judging Director F. Paul Pacult, “This year’s USC was the most international, with a dazzling array of quality distillates from as far away as Indonesia, India, and Iceland. Virtually all categories saw substantial gains in submissions, in particular, American whiskey, Ready-to-Drink cocktails, gin, and all brandy categories.

“Since producers enter their best marques into USC, it’s clear that they look to us for the most accurate and unbiased data in the industry. We look forward to USC 2021!”

View complete results at www.ultimate-beverage.com/USC2020results/

Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2020 Chairman’s Trophy Winners

WHISKY – CANADA

Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series 2019 Edition 26 Years Old

WHISKEY – IRELAND

Blended: Jameson Bow Street Cask Strength 18 Years Old

Single Pot Still: Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton

Single Malt: Teeling Single Cask 

WHISKY – SCOTLAND

Blended: Dewar’s Double Double 27 Years Old

Blended Malt: Wemyss Malts Peat Chimney

Single Malt-Highland: Oban 18 Years Old

Single Malt-Island: Highland Park 21 Year Old

Single Malt-Islay: Kilchoman Sanaig

Single Malt-Speyside: The Glenrothes 18 Years Old 

WHISKEY – USA

American/Other: Barrell Dovetail

Bottled-In-Bond:  Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Bourbon: Stagg, Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Rye: Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

Single Malt: Westland Garryana 2019 Edition 4|1

WHISK(E)Y – WORLD

The Matsui Mizunara Cask Single Malt

All products are rated on the 100-point scale by the spirits industry’s most renowned judges including buyers, journalists, educators, and bar owners. All spirits rated 80 points and higher receive an individual results page which provides all downloadable marketing material. Spirits designated one of the year’s Top 100 Spirits also receive a tasting note. USC results are promoted globally. In addition, high scoring products are featured in the Ultimate Beverage Challenge Guide to the World’s Best Spirits in the November issue of Beverage Media, which reaches more than 70,000 on- and off-premise spirits buyers. 

ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE…No shortcuts. Just honest, impartial judging.

ABOUT ULTIMATE BEVERAGE CHALLENGE

Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) provides expert evaluation of spirits for producers, importers, and marketers through its innovative annual competition: Ultimate Spirits Challenge. UBC partners are F. Paul Pacult, Sue Woodley and David Talbot.