FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 9 th Annual Spirited Awards ® Announce the Final Judging List

In 2015, 109 Industry Professionals were chosen as esteemed judges.

NEW ORLEANS - March 24, 2015 - In 2007, Tales of the Cocktail® created the Spirited Awards® to provide some much needed recognition of the best bars and bar talent from the United States and around the world. The 2015 Spirited Awards® are pleased to announce this year’s USA, International and Writing Judging Committees. These judges vote in their respective committees for the distinctive award categories. The winners will be announced on Saturday, July 19 at this year’s ceremony.

Simon Ford, the Spirited Awards® Chairman, has assembled a separate committee chairmen to oversee each judging committee, ensuring the judging process is executed fairly.

The International committee, overseen by Jacob Briars will consist of 50 qualified judges from across the globe. Jackson Cannon will lead the USA judging committee comprised of 50 judges knowledgeable about the bar culture in the USA and the industry as a whole. The Writing committee, made up of 9 leaders in the cocktail and spirits writing industry, will be led by David Wondrich, an esteemed industry author. His most recent publications are Imbibe and Punch.

Having committees dedicated to each of these categories brings more integrity and accuracy to the awards themselves.

Nominations will begin on April 1, 2015 and end on April 30 at 11:59 (Pacific Time). Voting will begin on Monday, May 18, 2015 and end Monday May 25 at 11:59 PM.

The 2015 judges are as follows:

International:Helmut Adam, GermanyJenny Adams, ManilaSven Almenning, AustraliaBen Belmans, BeneluxStephan Berg, GermanyJacob Briars, New YorkJared Brown, LondonIan Burrell, GlobalSalvatore Calabrese, LondonDean Callan, Global

Thierry Daniel, FranceSimon Difford, LondonPeter Dorelli, LondonPhilip Duff, GlobalEric Fossard, FranceJohn Gakuru, AustraliaGiuseppe Gallo, GlobalTony Harion, BrazilDenzel Heath, South AfricaChris Hopkins, SE Africa

Richard Irwin, AfricaTim Judge, GlobalZdenek Kastanek, SingaporeAlan Kavanagh, IrelandAlex Kratena, LondonMax LaRocca, ItalySandrae Lawrence, LondonErik Lorinzc, LondonMichael Menegos, GreeceJoerg Meyer, GermanyJoseph Mortera, MexicoLauren Mote, Canada

Bek Narzi, RussiaGeorge Nemec, EuropeXavier Padovani, EuropeAlberto Pires, PortugalJared Plummer, AustraliaMarc Plumridge, LondonAlex Ross, AustraliaKurt Schlecter, AfricaCristine Sismondo, CanadaJustin Smyth, GlobalHidetsuego Ueno, Japan

Tim Stones, GlobalMichael Vachon, LondonCamille Vidal, GlobalFrankie Walker, New Zealand

Claire Warner, LondonMax Warner, GlobalTheo Watt, China

USA:Bridget Albert, ChicagoBrooke Arthur, San FranciscoJacques Bezuidenhout, San FranciscoDerek Brown, Washington DCErick Castro, San DiegoPaul Clarke, SeattleAlex Day, Los AngelesDale DeGroff, New YorkElayne Duff, New YorkBrian Ellison, MadisonCamper English, San FranciscoRyan Fitzpatrick, San FranciscoDoug Frost, Kansas CityTrevor Frye, Washington DCChad George, DenverJohn Gertsen, San FranciscoKate Gerwin, North DakotaChris Hannah, New OrleansJosh Harris, San FranciscoBobby Heugel, HoustonCharles Joly, ChicagoMisty Kalkofen, BostonSean Kenyon, DenverNeil Kopplin, PortlandJohn Lermayer, Miami

Ryan Magarian, PortlandRyan Maybee, Kansas CityJim Meehan, PortlandJeffrey Morganthaler, PortlandSteve Olsen, New YorkChris Patino, New YorkDave Pickerell, VermontJulie Reiner, New YorkGary Regan, New YorkTodd Richman, MiamiNoah Rothbaum, New YorkJim Ryan, New YorkMike Ryan, ChicagoJon Santer, EmeryvilleAndy Seymour, New YorkDavid Suro-Pinera, PhiladelphiaCharlotte Voisey, New YorkJoshua Wagner, MiamiLiza Weisstuch, BostonCourtney Wilson, DenverJimmy Yeager, AspenRocky Yeh, SeattleNaren Young, New YorkDushan Zaric, Los Angeles

Writing:Fernando Castellon, Lyon Beppi Crosariol, Toronto

Wayne Curtis, New OrleansRobert Hess, SeattleAlice Lascelles, LondonPat Nourse, Sydney

Garrett Oliver, New YorkGary Regan, New YorkDave Wondrich, New York

The 9th annual Spirited Awards will take place on Saturday, July 19. For more information visit TalesoftheCocktail.com or email Michelle Dunnick at Michelle@TalesoftheCocktail.com.

About Tales of the Cocktail®

The Spirits Are Calling. Will you answer? They’re calling you to New Orleans for five days of seminars, tastings, product launches, competitions, networking events and so much more at the world's premier professional cocktail event. By just being a part of this spirited gathering you’ll help your fellow cocktail professionals around the world. Funds from Tales of the Cocktail® are invested back into the industry through scholarships, tuition reimbursements, training programs and financial aid. So join us as the international spirits community answers the call, returning for another spirited round of Tales of the Cocktail®.

About the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation SocietyThe New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society (NOCCPS) is a non-profit organization committed to preserving the unique cocktail culture in New Orleans and around the world. Every year the NOCCPS produces a number of events including Tales of the Cocktail®, Tales of the Cocktail® on Tour, and Tales of the Toddy® with proceeds being invested back into the international spirits community through scholarships, training programs and financial aid.

SOCIAL MEDIA:WEBSITE: http://www.TalesoftheCocktail.comFACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/talesofthecocktail.comTWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/totcYOUTUBE: http://www.youbtube.com/user/TOTCNOLA

CONTACT:Michelle Dunnick; 504-948-0511; Michelle@TalesoftheCocktail.com.

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