ACSA, the only 501(c)(6) national trade group representing craft producers in the U.S., announces the opening of its Annual Craft Spirits Competition. How do your products measure against other spirits in the same categories?  Find out by entering your spirits now. COMPETITION JUDGES Your spirits will be tasted and evaluated by a panel of top professionals. The competition judging will take place in a non-public event on January 27 & 28, 2026 at Cotton & Reed in Washington, D.C. Entrants are not expected to attend.

• Judging Chairs: Colton Weinstein (Liba Spirits) and Jeff Wuslich (Cardinal Spirits)
• Judges: Judging panels will be composed of highly regarded professionals from multiple disciplines within the spirits industry. No judge with a vested interest in any specific category of spirit is allowed to judge in that category.

MEDALISTS ANNOUNCEMENT Category medalists will be announced at an awards luncheon during the 2026 ACSA Convention and Expo. As we do not announce medalists in advance of that Spirits Awards event, we strongly encourage your attendance at our convention. Learn more and register at: www.americancraftspirits.org/convention CATEGORIES The categories of Brandy, Gin, Rum, Specialty Spirits, Ready to Drink Cocktails (RTDs), Vodka, and Whiskey (including Bourbon) will be judged. Innovation Award: You may produce innovative, remarkable spirits not commonly associated with a flavor profile in that spirits category. You may be concerned that your spirits would be considered “outliers”, unfit for an award. Do not despair!. Recognizing there are many terrific products that showcase true creativity, ACSA  expanded our award structure. In addition to Best of Class for each category, we also will present this Innovation Award. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

• While membership in ACSA is not a prerequisite for entering the competition, to enter your spirits you must be eligible for voting membership as defined by ACSA.^[1] ACSA membership does, however,  provide a significant discount on entry fees.
• ALL products must have a valid COLA from TTB. We reserve the right to request a copy of your COLA should there be a question as to an individual submission. Each spirit must have received formal approval for the “fanciful name” with a corresponding COLA by the date of judging or that spirit will be ineligible for evaluation.
• You must identify whether your spirit is Third Party (made using a base spirit distilled off-site) or Made from Scratch (distilled on premise). You may classify a spirit as other or with some specific identifier. If your product is a blend of Third Party distillate and Made from Scratch distillate, please classify this as ‘other’ and note the blend. The Judging Chairs reserve the right to reclassify a submitted spirit based on its professional judgment.

  ENTRY FEES & PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS ACSA Members: $300 per entry and Non-Members: $400 per entry Payment can be made by credit or debit card at time of registration of spirits on ACSA’s website: https://americancraftspirits.org/programs/judging/ DEADLINES Products may be shipped beginning August 1, 2024 Registration Deadline: 1/12/26 Receiving Deadline: 1/20/26 SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS PRODUCT ARRIVAL WINDOW Products must arrive before Jan. 20, 2026 DELIVERY ADDRESS Ship your spirits to: Cotton & Reed 1330 5th St NE Washington, DC 20002 SHIPPING & PACKAGING INSTRUCTIONS Failure to follow these instructions may disqualify your entry. Send two 750 ml bottles (or the equivalent) of each spirit entered. For RTD submissions, send  eight 12 oz cans/bottles (or the equivalent volume) for each product entered.. The outside of the box should be labeled with: “For Sample and Lab Use Only”. Use a rubber band to attach a copy of the SPIRIT ENTRY PACKING SLIP to each bottle entered. This will ensure that we inventory your entry accurately. DO NOT USE STYROFOAM PEANUTS OR TAPE PACKAGING SLIPS TO BOTTLES when shipping your spirits, as they can damage the bottle label. DISCLAIMER All products submitted will be considered property of the American Craft Spirits Association. The Judging Board retains the right not to award a medal, if, in its professional consensus, no medal is deserved in a specific category. Neither ACSA norCotton & Reed Distillery will accept responsibility for entries damaged or lost in shipment. CONTACT US ACSA Director of Meetings & Events Stephanie Sadri,  stephanie@americancraftspirits.org (720) 312-0350 ACSA CEO Margie A.S. Lehrman, margie@americancraftspirits.org  (202) 669-3661 ACSA 2025 Competition Chairs Colton Weinstein,  colton@libaspirits.com   (607) 351-5404 Jeff Wuslich, jeff@cardinalspirits.com (812)202-6789 ^[1]  To be eligible for ACSA membership as a voting member (as opposed to an affiliate member) you MUST be a craft distiller holding a valid DSP, produce fewer than 750,000 proof gallons removed from bond, subscribe to ACSA’s Code of Ethics, and no more than 50% of the DSP is owned (directly or indirectly) by a producer of distilled spirits whose combined annual production of distilled spirits from all sources exceeds 750,000 proof gallons removed from bond.