BARLEYCORN AWARDS
2024 BEST OF YEARWINNERS
For the third straight year, Barleycorn faced off its Spring and Fall Competition Top Spirits to determine the Best Of 2024.
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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Phone: 214-377-3527