The 2020 SIP Awards has revolutionized the spirits industry once again!

The SIP Awards has grown into a movement that is gaining traction across the spirits industry. From its inception 11 years ago, the SIP Awards International Spirits Competition has been the only competition with sole customers as judges, bringing together consumers at local venues to taste and judge spirits and mixers from around the world. This year, in the wake of a global pandemic, SIP Awards had to quickly evolve and pivot their annual event into an at-home tasting experience.

“At first we didn’t know how COVID-19 would impact our event, but time was not on our side and we needed to find a way to have consumers evaluate spirits safely.”



- SIP Awards Founder & CEO Pouya Hashemi.

In comparison to last year's event with 146 judges, the SIP Awards 2020 revolutionary digital experience hit a record-breaking 482 consumer judges who evaluate spirits in the comfort and safety of their own homes. With more judges providing feedback, this provided a much more accurate and broader rating method for each of the spirit and mixer brands. Judges are carefully vetted and extensively screened to ensure there is no affiliation with marketing, wholesalers, or distributors tied to the spirits industry. 

Despite the global pandemic, the number of entrants for this year's competition saw an increase, keeping the tradition of setting new records. Making history, a diverse combination of 981 spirits and mixer brands from around the world participated in the first ever at-home spirits tasting competition.

Winning a SIP Award is a critical milestone for brands, speaking directly to consumer preferences. By eliminating industry influence, the SIP Awards medals reflect public opinion on the essential characteristics of a quality spirit in over 100 categories.

Among the select few winners was The Bad Stuff Tequila Extra Añejo, taking home the Gold Medal in its 100% Agave Tequila Extra Añejo category, as well as the coveted 2020 Innovation Award.

The Gold medal celebrates spirits that demonstrated a noteworthy performance in a double blind tasting with a diverse consumer panel. With scores in the upper division, Gold medal spirits are strongly recommended. The Innovation Award applauds spirits with an interesting and unique taste profile or design. Consumer judges deem these spirits as innovative and groundbreaking by highlighting them with this exclusive recognition.

“A great takeaway for our consumer judges is having that opportunity to discover. By having the ability to taste new products and brands, consumers are more open to purchasing those that they enjoyed most. As we continue to see more new products and brands, The Innovation Award is a way for our consumer judges to really honor and highlight brands that are doing something different and unique in the marketplace.”



- SIP Awards Director of Events, Cher Holmes

About the SIP Awards



The SIP Awards provides a unique judging competition for spirit brands to gain exposure, feedback, and recognition from unbiased consumers. As the only blind tasting competition of its kind, the SIP Awards offers a fair platform for top brands to showcase their products to their most discerning audience. To learn more about the SIP Awards beverage competition, venue partnerships, or for a complete list of this year’s winners, visit ​https://sipawards.com​.