The clock is ticking down for entries into what will be the first standalone People’s Choice Spirits Awards that is being run as an event its own right for the 2022 awards. Here Janet Harrison, founder of the People’s Choice Drinks Awards, explains the latest developments with both the spirits and wine competitions and the introduction of a new Independent Bar awards in partnership with Master of Malt.
For all the latest information on the People’s Choice Spirits Awards click here. To catch up on the People’s Choice Wine awards, that opens for entries on November 5, click here.
How are the plans and entries going for your spirits awards that are you running as a standalone event this year?
How are the plans and entries going for your spirits awards that are you running as a standalone event this year?
Everything is going really well, we’ve already exceeded entry numbers from 2021 and still have a week to go for online submissions. Separating the spirits competition was definitely the right decision and gives it the prominence it deserves. The closing date for online entries is October 20 with deliveries by October 29. Click here for more details. We will then be holding judging sessions in Edinburgh, Manchester and London in mid to late November.
Anything else about the spirits awards we need to know about?
A very exciting development is the Drinks Finder search facility for spirits which will be developed after the awards ceremony in early 2022. Operating the same way as our ‘Find My Wines’ online recommendation tool, it will list all of the finalists, runner up and winning spirits, which can be searched for by occasion.
Each spirit listed will have its own page, showing an image of the bottle, judges’ comments and a direct link for where to buy. The Find My Wine facility has been a real hit and is driving consumer traffic, via our website, directly to stockists. It is also an added value element to the £80 entry fee. Here is a sample of how the page looks: https://peopleschoicedrinksawards.com/wines/cramele-recas-wine-atlas-feteasca-regala-2019/
Can you tell us about the new Independent Bar category – how is it going to be run?
Each of our Round 2 professional judges will nominate their top 10 independent bars and allocate a score (you can see the judges here). The panel will also include Sam Simmons, our latest Round 2 professional judge who is head of whisky at Atom Brands. The top five bars with the highest scores will form the shortlist. The five finalists will be subject to a UK wide consumer vote, which is a simple online process. The winner will be revealed at the ceremony on January 17 in Manchester. This exciting new category is sponsored by Master of Malt.
We are delighted to be able to partner with such an influential and highly respected retailer and supplier as Master of Malt and I know Liam Belton and his team are as “thrilled” as us to be able to give something back to all the hard-working bars that have been through so much over the last 18 months and come together to celebrate their achievements.
Anything new about the People’s Choice Wine Awards this year?
We have an exciting new ‘Drink Fairtrade’ category, sponsored by the Fairtrade Foundation. We will be providing more information about that in the coming weeks.
We have expanded the New to Market section to six categories. White and red have been split into ‘Easy Weekday’ and ‘Treat Yourself’, to cover both everyday and premium wines and we’ve added sparkling and rosé wine categories too.
We have added rosé and red to the ‘White for Aromatic & Asian Cuisine’ category as it is such a popular cuisine in the UK and one of the most frequently searched for occasions on Find My Wines. The same applies for Fire up the BBQ and we now have a category for white wines too.
The wine entries will open on November 5.
Are you hoping for an even wider group of entries from more countries?
We hope the new Drink Fairtrade award will open up more opportunities for South Africa. We are also looking to consolidate shipments from Australia this year, via our Australian media partner, Australian Wine Showcase Magazine.
You have also taken on Millie Milliken, formerly of Imbibe, in a new role – what do you hope she can bring to the awards?
As a business, the PCDA has grown quickly over the last three years and Judy Kendrick and I were looking for a safe pair of hands to help us through the next exciting period of expansion.
Millie has many contacts in the drinks trade as ex-deputy editor of Imbibe and writer for many other drinks publications. She is helping to develop the competitions, with particular expertise and connections in the spirits industry.
- The entry fee for the People’s Choice Spirits Awards is £80 and you will need to provide one bottle of each spirit entered for the competition, or nine 25cl cans (for the canned cocktail category). Click here to enter.
- To read the full list of spirits categories click here .
- The Buyer is media partner to both the People’s Choice Wine and Spirits awards.
