Finding the Right Spirits

If you really want to explore the myriad flavours of alcoholic beverages and put these liquids to true test, go for blind tasting. That is exactly what happened at the Spiritz Selection Awards 2020, where tasting in search of top-notch quality products across various categories of beverage alcohol were done.

Though in every year’s edition of the competition we have done the blind tasting in the wine section but this year the entire experience was taken a few notches higher by not only doing the blind tasting of wines but also of all the participating spirits’ products, be it white or brown.

With more than 150 products in four broad categories,the blind tasting was spread across three days. First day was  all about brown spirits, covering dark rums and an array of blended and malts from India and around the world. Second day was dedicated to white spirits, followed by a range of beers, and the third day involved blind tasting of some fantastic wines.

The curation of brown and white spirits was done by me.

Every single jury member was thoughtfully handpicked. The jury ranged from legendry beverage professionals to the renowned decision makers with great credibility. They have immense understanding of the world of alcoholic beverages.

The tasting process began in the classy setting of Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport hotel, and the set up done for the blind tasting, under the leadership of Anuj Soin, the Director of Food and Beverages of the hotel, was simply world class. Keeping in mind these tough times, the set up was done while maintaining all the necessary safety and hygiene protocols. Only one person was allowed to sit on one chair, with all the glassware and tasting mats exclusively for him/her to taste.

The process was also very well defined. There were categories of brown and white spirits and then there were sub categories, depending on the origins and the price points. This was done while keeping in mind to conduct a fair ‘apple to apple’ comparison.