In 2007, the American Distilling Institute revolutionized spirits competitions with the creation of the Judging of Craft Spirits. Before the ADI Judging, spirits competitions simply gave out scores or medals. But to better serve the growing number of craft spirits from around the country, ADI developed the first competition to award excellence with medals, and utilizes the expertise of our judges to give written feedback on every spirit entered into our competition.

Now the oldest and the largest competition dedicated to craft spirits, the ADI Judging accepts US and International entries in all classes and categories of distilled spirits, RTDs, cocktail bitters, aperitif & fortified wines from its members and non-member small/medium size producers. However, our mission remains the same: ADI recognizes excellence in the glass; promotes distillers and blenders that are producing the world’s finest quality artisan spirits; and gives participating producers valuable, unbiased, third-party feedback on the quality and process of their spirits. In addition, ADI considers all spirits for our packaging awards, and evaluates them to see if they meet the standards for our Certification of Craft Spirits. All at no additional cost or paperwork.

For more information about how to enter, our judging protocols, benefits for winners, sponsors, awards from previous years and other frequently asked questions, click on the links below.

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