FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tales of the Cocktail Announces Judges for The 9th Annual Spirited Awards
This year, 109 spirits experts have been selected to vote on more awards in more than 30
categories that will recognize the best of the cocktail industry.
NEW ORLEANS - March 31, 2015 - In 2007, Tales of the Cocktail created the Spirited
Awards to provide much needed recognition of the best bars and bar talent from the United
States and around the world. Tales of the Cocktail is proud to announce this years U.S.,
International and Writing Judging Committees that will select the next round of Spirited Awards
recipients. This collection of the most experienced and knowledgeable industry experts will vote
in their respective committees for the distinctive award categories. The winners will be
announced on Saturday, July 19 at this years ceremony being held at the Sheraton Hotel New
Orleans.
Choosing the absolute best of our industry is not an easy task, said Simon Ford, 2015 Spirited
Awards Chairman. I am eternally indebted to this experienced and talented group of judges for
being so generous with their time and talents in selecting this years Spirited Awards winners.
Given the diversity of the spirits industry, both geographically and stylistically, a panel of 109
judges was assembled to represent practically every region of the world and every facet of the
business. Simon Ford has assembled committee chairmen to oversee each judging committee,
ensuring the judging process is executed fairly and consistently across all award categories. The
International committee, overseen by Jacob Briars will consist of 50 qualified judges from
around the world. Jackson Cannon will lead the United States judging committee comprised of
50 judges knowledgeable about the bar culture in the U.S. and the industry as a whole. The
Writing Committee, made up of nine leaders in the cocktail and spirits writing industry, will be
led by David Wondrich, an esteemed cocktail writer and historian.
While this judging panel will select the winners, nominations for each award category are open
to the general public at TalesoftheCocktail.com starting April 1, 2015 and ending on April 30 at
11:59 PM (Pacific Time). Voting by the judging committees will begin on Monday, May 18,
2015 and end Monday May 25 at 11:59 PM.
The 2015 Judging Committees
International:
Jacob Briars, New York (Chairman)
Helmut Adam, Germany
Jenny Adams, Manila

Sven Almenning, Australia

Ben Belmans, Benelux
Stephan Berg, Germany

Jared Brown, London

Ian Burrell, Global
Salvatore Calabrese, London
Dean Callan, Global
Thierry Daniel, France
Simon Difford, London
Peter Dorelli, London
Philip Duff, Global
Eric Fossard, France
John Gakuru, Australia
Giuseppe Gallo, Global
Tony Harion, Brazil
Denzel Heath, South Africa
Chris Hopkins, SE Africa
Richard Irwin, Africa
Tim Judge, Global
Zdenek Kastanek, Singapore
Alan Kavanagh, Ireland
Alex Kratena, London
Tim Stones, Global
Michael Vachon, London
Camille Vidal, Global
Frankie Walker, New Zealand
USA:
Jackson Canon, Boston (Chairman)
Bridget Albert, Chicago
Brooke Arthur, San Francisco
Jacques Bezuidenhout, San Francisco
Derek Brown, Washington DC
Erick Castro, San Diego
Paul Clarke, Seattle
Alex Day, Los Angeles
Dale DeGroff, New York
Elayne Duff, New York
Brian Ellison, Madison
Camper English, San Francisco
Ryan Fitzpatrick, San Francisco
Doug Frost, Kansas City
Trevor Frye, Washington DC
Chad George, Denver
John Gertsen, San Francisco
Kate Gerwin, North Dakota
Chris Hannah, New Orleans
Josh Harris, San Francisco
Bobby Heugel, Houston

Max LaRocca, Italy

Sandrae Lawrence, London
Erik Lorinzc, London
Michael Menegos, Greece
Joerg Meyer, Germany
Joseph Mortera, Mexico
Lauren Mote, Canada
Bek Narzi, Russia
George Nemec, Europe
Xavier Padovani, Europe
Alberto Pires, Portugal
Jared Plummer, Australia
Marc Plumridge, London
Alex Ross, Australia
Kurt Schlecter, Africa
Cristine Sismondo, Canada
Justin Smyth, Global
Hidetsuego Ueno, Japan
Claire Warner, London
Max Warner, Global
Theo Watt, China

Charles Joly, Chicago

Misty Kalkofen, Boston
Sean Kenyon, Denver
Neil Kopplin, Portland
John Lermayer, Miami
Ryan Magarian, Portland
Ryan Maybee, Kansas City
Jim Meehan, Portland
Jeffrey Morganthaler, Portland
Steve Olsen, New York
Chris Patino, New York
Dave Pickerell, Vermont
Julie Reiner, New York
Gary Regan, New York
Todd Richman, Miami
Noah Rothbaum, New York
Jim Ryan, New York
Mike Ryan, Chicago
Jon Santer, Emeryville
Andy Seymour, New York
David Suro-Pinera, Philadelphia

Charlotte Voisey, New York

Joshua Wagner, Miami
Liza Weisstuch, Boston
Courtney Wilson, Denver
Jimmy Yeager, Aspen
Writing:
Dave Wondrich, New York (Chairman)
Fernando Castellon, Lyon
Beppi Crosariol, Toronto
Wayne Curtis, New Orleans
Robert Hess, Seattle

Rocky Yeh, Seattle

Naren Young, New York
Dushan Zaric, Los Angeles

Alice Lascelles, London

Pat Nourse, Sydney
Garrett Oliver, New York
Gary Regan, New York

For more information about the 9th Annual Spirited Awards or to get your tickets to the awards
ceremony visit TalesoftheCocktail.com or email Michelle Dunnick at
Michelle@TalesoftheCocktail.com.
About Tales of the Cocktail
The Spirits Are Calling. Will you answer? Theyre 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 youll
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 Society
The 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.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/talesofthecocktail.com
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/totc
YOUTUBE: http://www.youbtube.com/user/TOTCNOLA
CONTACT:
Michelle Dunnick; 504-948-0511; Michelle@TalesoftheCocktail.com.
###