BARLEYCORN AWARDS
2023 BEST OF YEARWINNERS
For the second straight year, Barleycorn faced off its Spring and Fall Competition Top Spirits to determine the Best Of 2023.
This blind-tasting combat was judged by Barleycorn Society members, including Clay Risen, Wayne Curtis, Zach Johnston, Susan Reigler, and John McCarthy. It proved to be a raucous smackdown.
John Barleycorn Awards is an international competition created by spirits writers to recognize the preeminent distillers, marketers, and designers of the spirits industry.
The competition gets its name from the centuries-old spirits metaphor John Barleycorn, who was featured in the works of writers, poets, and lyricists like Jack London, Robert Burns, and Steve Winwood.
♠ Taste ♥ Marketing ♣ Design ♦
2021 Best of Year Winners
Six spirits companies, a marketing firm and seven products received Best of the Year accolades from the John Barleycorn Society.
The recognition was determined based on performance in the organization’s spring and fall John Barleycorn Awards International Spirits competitions.
2021 best of year RESULTS
The John Barleycorn Society
The John Barleycorn Society is an assemblage of the world’s top journalists and industry professionals who foster a modern approach to recognizing excellence in the spirits industry from seed to glass. Taste, print and digital marketing, package design, public relations, journalism, social media, event production, filmmaking, and bar design are some of the general categories judged by our select panels. The John Barleycorn Society is dedicated to redefining todays spirits awards by acknowledging the entire scope of the industry and revolutionizing the process.
John McCarthy
Director of Judging, Spirits Journalist
Leslie Sbrocco
Author, Speaker, Consultant, and Television Host,
Rachel DelRocco Terrazas
Spirits Writer, Speaker
G Clay Whittaker
Spirits Journalist
Tony Sachs
Spirits Journalist
Susie O.
Spirits Journalist
Frank Caiafa
Author, Beverage Director, Consultant
Jonah Flicker
Spirits Journalist
Susannah Skiver Barton
Spirits Journalist
Nico Martini
Author, Spirits Journalist
Clint Lanier
Author, Spirits Journalist
Amanda Schuster
Spirits Journalist
Sother Teague
Author, Spirits Journalist
Susan Reigler
Author, Spirits Journalist
Kevin Gray
Spirits Journalist
Zach Johnston
OJ Lima
Shannon Mustipher
Maggie Kimberl
Emma Janzen
LP O’Brien
David Tao
Lincoln Chinnery
Lou Bank
Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
David Jennings
Aaron Goldfarb
Dale DeGroff
The John Barleycorn Statuette
The John Barleycorn statuette is an iconic representation of a major industry achievement. Instead of the traditional, small, inexpensive medal that other competitions give their winners, John Barleycorn Society went big and dynamic, creating a symbol of the spirits industry that winners are proud to display.
The 11-inch metal casting is a hand-tooled, high-quality piece of art portraying the contemplation of a fine spirit. Each award has a customized plate inscribed with the winner’s information. The statuette is gold or silver depending on the level of achievement. The Barleycorn award is presented in a Tiffany-style display box.
The John Barleycorn Society created the statuette with Society Awards, the most prestigious custom design and manufacturing firm in the awards industry. Society Awards produces the Golden Globes, Emmys, Clios, MTV, YouTube, Academy of Country Music, and many other prominent awards.
"John Barleycorn's inhibition rises like a wall betweenone's immediate desires and long-learned morality."
Jack London
"John Barleycorn was a hero bold, of noble enterprise;For if you do but taste his blood, 'twill make your courage rise."
Robert Burns
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Dallas, TX 75207
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Phone: 214-377-3527