Special Events
From time to time, ACSA partners with related groups to continue to elevate and advocate for the community of craft spirits producers. The Corn Growers Association partnered with ACSA to host a biennial Heartland Whiskey Competition. Bar Convent Brooklyn offered distillers the opportunity to place their remarkable craft spirits on the ACSA Craft Spirits Pavilion. The Public Policy Conference allowed spirits industry professionals from across the country to meet with Congress. BevCon provided four distillers the chance to pour at their tasting events.
2023 Heartland Whiskey Competition
The American Craft Spirits Association, in cooperation with the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, sanctioned the Heartland Whiskey Competition to honor a grain that is all important to our industry: CORN!
Register for the 2023 Competition Today:
Since the Heartland Whiskey Competition’s launch in 2017, the number of sponsoring corn-supported states has more than doubled from 10 to 21. However, the contest is open to ALL whiskey entries in all 50 states, as long as the mash includes corn in their grain bills.
CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, TEXAS, TENNESSEE, WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN
2022 Public Policy Conference
More than 200 distillers from nearly every U.S. state connected virtually with federal lawmakers and regulators on September 21st during the spirits industry’s annual Public Policy Conference, jointly hosted by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
One major result of the spirits industry’s united advocacy efforts was the permanent reduction of the federal excise tax (FET), signed into law at the end of 2020, after a years-long push for passage of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA).
“This is the opportunity to share the importance of your business, how you matter in the communities in which you live, and highlight the jobs you create,” said ACSA CEO Margie A.S. Lehrman at the start of the Public Policy Conference, noting that those jobs go well beyond the spirits industry itself and into allied industries like agriculture and hospitality.
Throughout the course of more than 120 virtual meetings with lawmakers, craft spirits producers addressed issues important to the distilled spirits sector, including two major priorities: The Distilled Spirits Industry’s Positive Economic Impact and The United States Postal Service (USPS) Shipping Equity Act (H.R. 3287/S. 1663). Click here to read more.
Bar Convent Brooklyn
Craft spirits producers connected with bar and restaurant owners and managers, bartenders, beverage directors and distributors at Bar Convent Brooklyn (BCB), a leading bar and beverage trade show that hosted its third appearance in the U.S., on August 17-18, 2021. This event provided a rare opportunity for craft distillers to showcase their world-class products in front of a vast cross-section of industry decision-makers, all under one roof. ACSA member distilleries gathered at the ACSA Craft Spirits Pavilion to share their spirits and stories with attendees from across the country and around the globe.
BCB 2021
The distilleries included:
- Backwards Distilling Co. (Casper, WY)
- Distillery 291 (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Martin Ryan Distilling Co. (Portland, OR)
- New York Distilling Co. (Brooklyn, NY)
- Round Turn Distilling (Biddeford, ME)
- Wiggly Bridge Distillery (York, ME)
- Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh, PA)
BCB 2019
The distilleries included:
- Cardinal Spirits (Bloomington, IN)
- Copper & Kings (Louisville, KY)
- Golden Moon Distillery (Golden, CO)
- Gulch Distillers (Helena, MT)
- Mad River Distillers (Warren, VT)
- Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries (Glenshaw, PA)
- Round Turn Distilling (Biddeford, ME)
- Wiggly Bridge Distillery (York, ME)
- Wigle Whiskey (Pittsburgh, PA)
BCB 2018
The distilleries included:
- Appalachian Gap Distillery (Middlebury, VT)
- Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. (Louisville, KY)
- Du Nord Craft Spirits (Minneapolis, MN)
- Hamilton Distillers (Tucson, AZ)
- Maggie’s Farm Rum (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Round Turn Distilling (Biddeford, ME)
BevCon
August 2018 featured this special event. Four ACSA member distilleries, who won ACSA’s lottery, showcased their spirits at two exclusive events at BevCon in Los Angeles, Sunday, August 19 through Tuesday, August 21. ACSA member events include:
- Backwards Distilling Company (Mills, WY) poured Strongman Gin, Contortionist Gin, Milk Can Cinnamon Moonshine
- Republic Restoratives (Washington, DC) poured CIVIC Vodka, Borough Bourbon, Rodham Rye, Chapmans Apple Brandy
- CALI Distillery (Los Angeles, CA) poured CALI California Sipping Whiskey, Riptide Cask Strength Rye Whiskey, Mavericks Doublewood Small Batch American Whiskey*, Sukkah Hill Spirits Etrog Liqueur, Sukkah Hill Spirits Besamim Liqueur and Mavericks Eighty Eight* (*pre-release)
- Blinking Owl Distillery (Santa Ana, CA) showcased its Vodka, OC Orange Vodka, Aquavit, Gin and Old Tom Gin
