Entering a total of three spirits into the 2019 San Diego Spirits Festival for judging, Central City Brewers & Distillers has won a Gold Medal or better for each submission! The Lohin McKinnon Niagara Wine Barrel Whisky and Sparrow Rum have been awarded Double Gold Medals, the highest honour possible, and Queensborough Omakase Japanese Style Gin won an impressive Gold Medal.

The San Diego Spirits Competition is one of the highest regarded spirits competitions in the world and had over 125 entrants in the 2019 bottle competition. All entries were blind tasted and judged by a panel of experts on flavour profile, body, smoothness and balance.

The Lohin McKinnon Niagara Wine Barrel Whisky is the only Canadian whisky to win a Double Gold Medal at this year’s festival. Finished in VQA wine barrels from the Niagara escarpment, this whisky’s inspired flavour is among the best in the world and received one of only 2 Double Gold Medals awarded to whiskies in the 2019 competition. Lohin McKinnon Niagara Wine Barrel Whisky is set to be released in Ontario at the LCBO and private stores in BC in October of 2019.

In the Rum category, Central City’s Sparrow Rum also took top accolades with a Double Gold Medal. This aged rum has a smooth and bold flavour profile that was recognized as the best in the competition receiving the only Double Gold Medal in the rum category.

Finally, the internationally inspired Queensborough Omakase Gin was awarded a coveted Gold Medal. This Japanese-style gin took home the only Gold Medal offered in the gin category with its citrus-forward flavour from traditional Japanese citrus fruit and botanicals.

“Our continued dedication to creating innovative, hand crafted spirits is rewarded with awards like these from San Diego” says Marketing Director Dustan Sept, “International recognition for our spirits program shows how Canadian spirits and our brands are at the forefront of flavour and are driving innovation globally”.

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About The San Diego Spirits Competition:
The 2019 San Diego International Spirits Competition had the toughest field of great entries from both the USA and Internationally, and all spirits were judged on their individual merits and attributes. The 2019 bottle judging competition was well supported with over 125 entries in various categories from vodka and gin to whiskeys, rum, agave spirits and liqueurs. Spirits were presented to judges in coded NEAT glasses in a blind tasting format. No spirits bottles were visible to judges at any time until the competition was finalized.