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>>     Tasting procedure
>>     General
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>>     Destillata – results of the Special competition
>>     Submission fees
>>     Reductions
>>     Destillata success package

As a result of ongoing development and continuous improvement of the systems, the Destillata awards for the best spirits have come to be recognised as one of the most serious distillate tastings and is regarded as a link between producers and consumers.

• 100% distillate
• Distillates that are produced by “mashing and distilling”, can be described as “brandy” and have at least 100 kg of fruit weight per 20 l alcohol.

Only products without added sugar are accepted for the Destillata prize tasting. Products with subsequently-added sugar will not be assessed or will be eliminated following the official check. The spirits must be clear, and may be aged in wooden barrels. The submitted spirits are classified according to raw material:
Pomiferous fruit - stone fruit - berry fruit - grape/wine/yeast/marc - wild fruits - cereal cultivars/beer - special types

Permitted groups with added sugar:    

• Grappas:
Permitted are products from Italy and Switzerland which are entitled to be described as grappa. A sugar content of up to 20g/l is permissible.

• Cigar brandies:
Permitted are brandies with at least 43% vol. alcohol and aged in wooden barrels. Products may contain added sugar up to the statutory limit (4g/l).

• Liqueurs:
Permitted are exclusively fruit juice, wine, fruit cider and fruit maceration liqueurs; no artificial, milk, cream or cone liqueurs, no egg liqueurs.

The minimum permissible alcohol content is 15% vol., minimum sugar content 100g/l (for cherry liqueurs whose alcohol consists exclusively of cherry brandy, 70g/l).
In principle, natural and near-natural aromas are to be used. Only natural aromas may be used with the varieties: pineapple, cranberry, blackcurrant, sea buckthorn, cherry, raspberry, mint, blackberry, gentian, blueberry, aniseed, citrus fruits, mugwort, cloudberry, woundwort, American blueberries.

 Permitted groups without added sugar:

(Products with  subsequently-added sugar will not be assessed or will be eliminated following the official check.)

• Spirits:
Only products without added sugar that comply with the term “spirit” as defined in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) VO110/2008 

are permitted. These also include “essences” or root types (elder, gentian). Ageing in wooden barrels is permitted. Products with subsequently added sugar will not be evaluated or will be eliminated following the official check.• Strong Spirits:Permitted are 100% distillate without added sugar and a minimum of 48% vol. alcohol. Ageing in wooden barrels is permitted.• Distillates that are produced by “mashing and distilling”, can be described as “brandy” and have at least 100 kg of fruit weight  per 20 l alcohol.The submitted products will be arranged in subgroups according to variety or type of fruit, at the organisers’ discretion.

The Destillata judging panel consists of tasters who have successfully participated in the Destillata prize tasting in the past as well as further persons with experience of other tastings. Acceptance will depend on proof of performance and the need for new testers, and the possible release of previous testers following the results of the tester check. The testers must attend at least one official Destillata training session annually.

The sensory management is the responsibility of the supreme Destillata judging panel:      

Dr. Stefan Gergely, Gault Millau Austria, A
Dr. Manfred Gössinger, HBLA Klosterneuburg, A

The tasting procedure incorporates four criteria and a scale of 5 to 1.

If a criterion is fulfilled by a distillate, the rating 5 must be allocated.

If the criterion is met only partially or not at all, then deductions must be made accordingly.

Criterion 1: Cleanliness

Criterion 2: Aroma

Product-typical aroma of the distillate in its intensity and quality in nose and on palate.

Criterion 3: Mouthfeeling

Trigeminal and haptic sensations; impressions on palate; body.

Criterion 4: Persistence

Character and length of the aftertaste;

lingering, texture.

In order to further raise the recognised high level of the best spirits in the Destillata prize tasting, a new tasting scheme has been devised which will be applied for the first time in 2005. Thus the tasting results will be more closely verified than was previously the case and misjudgements eliminated:

In place of the previous check of the tasting results by means of double samples, in future every submitted sample will be tasted by two completely separate groups. In the event of discrepancies in the assessments, the sample will be assessed a third time by the expert jury.

The submitted samples must comply with the terms of the spirits code (however without sugar for Destillata Classic, the spirits group, the strong spirits and distillates that are produced by “mashing and distilling”). In the event of exceeding the limit values, schnappses will be eliminated as “defective” (this can also take place after the check).

Registrations will be accepted by post! Binding advanced registration saves participation in time.

With the Destillata award procedure for the best spirits (Classic competition), firstly product prizes will be awarded as follows:

14 - 15 points bronze, 16 - 17 points silver, 18 - 20 points gold

The “Spirit of the Year” variety winner will be selected from the gold-awarded products from each group. If there is only one gold-classified spirit in a group, then the jury will decide whether this distillate should be voted “Spirit of the Year".

In addition, there will be distillery awards: a total of four distillates will be cited for the overall result list (list of the best distilleries) and thus for determination of the “Distilleries of the Year”:

In the Destillata Special competition, only product awards in the from of gold, silver and bronze medals will be allocated as well as a group winner chosen for all open groups with gold-winning products. The results of the Special competition will not be taken into account in the determination of the list of best distilleries.

Spirits with 3.5 - 3.9 points will be awarded bronze
Spirits with 4.0 – 4.4 points will be awarded silver
Spirits with 4.5 – 5.0 points will be awarded gold

The title “Spirit of the Year” will be awarded to the best-rated distillate per sort, however only when more than 4.5 points (= gold) has been achieved. This title will not be awarded for under 4.5 points.
If only one distillate achieved gold in a group, then this will be tasted again by the complete jury in order to decide whether this spirit should be chosen as “Spirit of the Year”.

Before the prize competition, all samples of the Classic competition, the spiritis- and the Strong Spirits group as well as distillates that are produced by “mashing and distilling”,  will be tested for sugar and alcohol content. After announcement of the results, distillates which were awarded medals will analytically controlled on a random basis as well as in the event of suspicion of “faults”.

Staggered fees relate to the overall number of samples submitted per participant, irrespective of the competition the samples are submitted for. If, for example, a participant submits four samples for the Classic competition and three samples for the Special competition, then this would constitute an entry of seven samples, with the fourth sample being free of charge.
All prices are exclusive of value added tax (VAT)
For entrants from outside the EU customs duty is also pay-able. Please note: consignments should be declared as samples.

Submission fees for the Destillata prize competition for the best spirits include the following services:

Tasting by the Destillata jury;

Every distillery will receive an assessment overview with comment from the jury on their submitted spirits;

Destillata certificates and medals for medal winners;

Sugar analysis in laboratory;

Random follow-up analysis in laboratory;

One ticket for the Destillata Gala Evening with award ceremony;

Internet presentation in the Destillata Online Guide;

Trade fair presentation of the award-winning distillates at home and abroad;

Announcement of the “Spirits of the Year” with producers, the “Top Distilleries of the Year” (hit list) and the “Distiller of the Year” in the Gault Millau Guide.

Reductions for prize-winning spirits

The reduction in the submission fee also remains unchanged for those spirits that have achieved a national award, 16 points or more in the Swiss Schnaps Forum’s prize tasting or at the Disti Swiss, or 4.2 points or more under the German Agricultural Society’s quality testing system. A reduction of € 10 plus statutory taxes will be allowed per sample.

Destillata Super Bonus: fourth sample free of charge

As a Destillata Super Bonus, every fourth submitted sample will not be billed. Expressed in real terms, this means a saving of € 90 plus statutory taxes for all those participants who submit four or more samples and thus secure consideration in the “Top Distilleries” category.

Destillata Newcomer Bonus

The Newcomer Bonus (reduction of the submission fee € 10 plus statutory VAT per sample) will be granted to all distilleries that have not taken part in the Destillata awards ever.

From these submissions the best will be selected (account taken of the overall result according to the rules) and will receive the special prize for

“Destillata-Newcomer of the Year” at the award ceremony.

>    Competent, neutral and independent event organiser    

>    Well-known and attractive cooperation partners

      ( GENUSS REGION ÖSTERREICH  *  Guide Gault Millau *

      ORF  *  DIE PRESSE  *  Kleinbrennerei  *

      Schutzverband Österreichischer Spirituosen-, Sekt- und

      Fruchtsafthersteller   *  Reed Exhibitions  *

      HBLA für Wein- und Obstbau Klosterneuburg  *

      Christian Carl Ing. GmbH )     

>    Only selected, trained, professional jurors taste the submitted samples    

>    Traceable, secured assessment scheme – every sample is tasted by

      two completely independent groups    

>    Analysis of submitted spirits for sugar before the assessment    

>    Random follow-up checks of spirits after assessment    

>    Advertising opportunities with a well-known brand

      (medals, certificates, business labels, etc.)     

>    Easily-understandable and precisely-calculable participation costs  

>    Reductions for samples that have won awards in national tastings, from

      the German Agricultural Society, Swiss Schnaps Forum or

      at the Disti Swiss     

>    No submission fee for fourth sample    

>    Grand Destillata Gala with awards presented by well-known

      personalities from business, politics and the media    

>    Objective-oriented, professional media services before, during and

      after the event    

>    Announcement of the 20 best operations and all sort winners in the

      Gault Millau Guide (circulation 30,000)    

>    Trade fair presentation of the three best operations at the leading

      hotel and catering trade fairs in Austria without additional costs    

>    Presentation of all sort winners in the Destillata Tasting Lounge at

      these trade fairs without additional costs    

>    Internet presentation in the Destillata Online Guide