To conclude the year of 2019, The Spirits Business hosted its annual The Global Spirits Masters to rank the greatest tasting spirits during a blind tasting event. The spirits were ranked on the basis of their balanced flavours, texture and creativity, with liquid appearance and aroma taken into consideration as well. The judges retasted each other’s selected spirits to decide the best spirit in each liquor category; here are five of the winners
1. Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate
A winner in the Tequila & Mezcal Taste Master 2019 category, Koch El impressed the judges with its fruity notes of pineapples, banana skin, cherry yogurt and caramelised apples along with the slight notes of eucalyptus and mace. The spirit, that is bottled at 46.8% ABV, was praised for its great balance of sweet, spicy and smoky flavours by the jury.
Koch El mezcal is produced with the uncommon Tepeztate variety of agave from the Oaxaca region of Mexico, and is priced at $100.
2. Trois Rivières – Cuvée de l’Ocean
The white agricole wowed the judges under The Rum & Cachaça Masters 2019 category. The spirit was appreciated for its intense flavour and aroma of sweet sugarcanes, the earthy flavours being an easy treat on the taste buds.
Cuvée de l’Ocean is made from pressed sugarcane juice, with the sugarcanes grown in the south of Martinique near the Atlantic Ocean.
3. Cognac Frapin – Millésime 1990
Securing the highest rank in the Cognac Taste Master 2019 category, Frapin was admired for its ‘rancio’ flavour profile which had notes of tropical fruit and vanilla in it. The spirit proved to be a great example of an excellent aged cognac, making the judges declare it as a winner at the event.
Millésime originated in Les Gabloteaux vineyard of Domaine Frapin, and is produced with Ugni Blanc grapes.
4. Van Ryn’s Single Pot Still Brandy 10 Year Old
Van Ryn’s made a mark on the judges under the Brandy Taste Master 2019 category on account of its elegant, spicy flavours. The spirit was appreciated for its balanced acidic profile and the slight notes of wood that were pleasant on the nose.
This brandy is produced by the South African company Distell, using Chenin Blanc and Colombard grapes to distil the liquor.
5. Cotswolds Dry Gin
Emerging as the winner in the Gin Taste Master 2019 category, Cotswolds left behind 27 selected gins to secure the title. Its rich flavour profile and texture impressed the judges straight away. The spirit is distilled with nine botanicals such as lavender, pink grapefruit, lime zest, cardamom seeds and black peppercorn.
The gin is a product of UK’s Cotswolds Distillery that uses ten times the amount of the usual botanicals to distil the spirit in copper pot stills.
I wish I could sit down with a peg of Trois Rivières – Cuvée de l’Ocean right now. Which one would you want to try out of these best tasting spirits? Tell us in the comments below.
