For two consecutive years, the London Spirits Competition has been a true benchmark for buyers looking to find spirits of the best quality, value, and packaging. Along with the judging process of the competition, one of the major driving forces has been the panel of judges who sit down to assess the spirits.

For all previous years, the London Spirits Competition has been assessed and judged by a leading panel of top-level spirits buyers with current direct commercial buying responsibility, along with spirits consultants and experts who are also directly involved in the development of new spirits brands or buying spirits for commercial resale.

The London Spirits Competition looks to recognize, reward and help promote spirits brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific spirits drinker. For any spirits brand to earn its place on a retailer’s shelf or a restaurant’s/bar’s spirits list -  and then vitally stay there - they need to be marketable and consumer-driven and not just produced in the general hope it can find enough people willing to sell and buy it.

That is why the London Spirits Competition is different. It will single out and shine the spotlight on those spirits brands that consumers really want to buy and have a clear market value for trade buyers.

The 3rd edition of the London Spirits Competition is going to be no different. Organized by Beverage Trade Network, the 2020 London Spirits Competition boasts a widespread panel of high profile judges that include bartenders, spirits buyers, mixologists, marketing & merchandising experts, bar managers, and other industry experts who are involved in the day to day working trade.

The list of judges is focused on industry leaders from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors and on-trade groups across a variety of channels and disciplines including multiple retailing, convenience stores, cash and carries, specialist retailers, casual and fine dining, hospitality and the travel industry.

Just like every year, the 2020 London Spirits Competition has a lineup of top industry leaders and high profile names who will gather to taste spirits, and judge them on the basis of quality, value, and packaging.

Meet the judges

Over the years, the London Spirits Competition has seen a plethora of judges, out of which this year, some are coming back to the tables to taste new spirits. Along with them, the London Spirits Competition has also invited a panel of new judges whose expertise and knowledge will give spirits brands a clear picture of where they stand in the market. The judges will also be setting a benchmark for all spirits buyers across the globe.

The new judges added this year include:

1. Erion Bardhoci - Senior Mixologist, The Goring

2. Ludovica Fedi - Head Bartender, The Gleneagles Hotel

3. Leonardo Filippini - Senior Bartender, The Savoy

4. Brendan Phillips - Category Buyer, Dunns Food and Drinks

5. Marco Stella - Head Bartender, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

6. Mariantonietta Varamo - Assistant FB Manager, DUKES Hotel

7. Alex Williams - Head Bartender , Great Scotland Yard - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

And other judges who will be joining LSC once again include:

1. Georgia Billing - Bar Manager , Din Tai Fung

2. Davide Capirola - Head Bartender, Roka Restaurants

3. Charlotte Charret - Senior bartender, Allegra Bar

4. Angelo Fierro - Head Bartender, D&D

5. Dan Fisher - Bartender, The Ned

6. Simone Francini - Head Bartender , The London EDITION

7. Angelo Martinelli - Co-Owner, Martinelli Mixologist

8. Michal Maziarz - Bar Manager , Great Scotland Yard Hotel

9. Aurelie Montana - Assistant Bar Manager , D&D London

10. Keivan Nemati - Brand Ambassador , Greenwood Distillers

11. Daniele Panzanaro - Head Bartender , The Waldorf Hilton

12. Luca Rapetti - Assistant Bar Manager, L’oscar London

13. Michele Reina - European Brand Ambassador, Luxco, Inc.

14. Luke Ridge - Venue Manager, Arcade Food Theatre London

15. Stefano Tatti - Restaurant Manager, Craft London

16. Rui Tavares - Head Bartender, London Marriott Hotel County Hall

The Judging Criteria

To win a London Spirits Competition award you will need to score highly in all three areas of our judging criteria. You might have an outstanding quality of spirits, but if the price and packaging is not right, you will not be recognized by the London Spirits Competition.

There is no point, for example, in having a 95 point spirits if it does not look good or offer consumers great value for money. Those points mean it will remain highly respected within the trade, but it will also remain largely unsold on the shelf or languishing on a restaurant’s/bar’s spirits list.

That is why the London Spirits Competition will be decided based on the following judging formula:

Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = London Spirits Competition Score.

Know Entire Procedure  |  Scoring System  |  Awards