A time to make friends
The WSA awards ceremony takes place somewhere else every year. " It is always where many good distillers come from", says Wolfram Ortner "And especially where all the superstars of the industry come from. We are pleased to be able to come to Roner in South Tyrol this year, home of so many good distilleries."
77 master distillers from all over the world, from Indonesia to Grenada came to the "world's best competition"
Founder of the World Spirits Award 20 years ago, Austrian and ex-ski racer Wolfram Ortner said, "We are the world's best Competition, the Formula 1 if you will, in the spirits world with an accurate, transparent judging system and the most qualified judges. ", states Wolfram Ortner, "We judge the entire spectrum of spirits from all over the world, gin, whisky, rum, vodka, brandy, liqueurs and many more, from rhum agricole to cumin schnapps, always taking into account origin and tradition."
"It's important to be able to compete with the best and constantly evolve," says Karin Roner. The international jury tasted over 300 samples and evaluated them with a lot of know-how. The best of the best were awarded the coveted "World Spirits Awards". Nine distilleries were able to secure a World Spirits Award. One of them went to South Tyrol to the Roner distillery family. The Williams Reserv was awarded a gold medal. Roner also won gold and the award for the best gin of the year "Spirit of the Year 2023" with its Z44 Special Edition.
Simply the best in spirits
A master distiller himself, Wolfram Ortner founded the "Destillata" tasting competition back in 1991 and then the World Spirits Award in 2004. The WSA awards annually the best spirits of different kinds. The "World Spirits Award" goes to the distillery of the highest-scoring spirit and the best distillery in each category.
"With gin being very hyped in recent years, whisky is very much back in vogue this year, with qualities that knock your socks off! Liqueurs are also more and more in the focus of consumers because of their aroma diversity and easy drinkability" Ortner sums up.
Small or large - the common denominator of the participating distilleries is their high quality. A distillery tour has been organized as a supporting program for the event, during which technical know-how and expert knowledge are shared. The culmination of the awards ceremony on Saturday evening is followed by a gala dinner together, which underlines the family character of the event.
PhotoCredit: www.world-spirits.com
For us, it is an honor to welcome master distillers from all over the world.
- Karin Roner
