SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., March 30, 2011 — The Spirits International Prestige (SIP) Awards takes a fresh approach to beverage competitions by linking producers to the people who matter the most – the consumers. The contest organizers invite all producers of alcoholic spirit beverages to submit entries for the annual consumer-judged awards competition. The SIP Awards were instituted in 2009 to celebrate the diversity and high quality of spirits and to recognize the best of the best in an effort to generate unbiased and impartial acknowledgment.
The SIP Awards are different from similar competitions because they use consumer judges instead of industry professional judges. "We wanted to find out which spirit brands would come out on top if all of the hype and marketing were taken out of the equation," says Paul Hashemi, executive producer of the SIP Awards. They remain steadfast in their goal of providing one of the most reliable measures of beverage quality in the world. By working directly with educated and impartial consumers, The SIP Awards has established a completely merit-based awards system that effectively levels the playing field for beverage producers, both seasoned and new.
Spirits entered in the competition will be judged in a blind tasting that is strictly based on the characteristics of aroma, taste, and finish. By winning a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum SIP Award, a brand is empowered and transformed into the consumers' choice for its spirit category. In 2010, 162 brands entered in the global competition, with 29 receiving platinum medals. The consumer judging panel stripped away the layers of elaborate marketing, brand recognition, price point disparity, and most importantly, the bias of established judges, to reward the brands that are truly the best in class.
Winners of the SIP Awards will also receive exclusive exposure through Internet media, social networking sites, television, and print publicity campaigns. Brands that win SIP Awards are distinguished as a preferred brand by consumers, which strengthens the brand to rise to new heights in marketing and sales. Beverage industry media partners offer special promotions extended only to SIP Award medal winners, which further contributes to their public relations activities.
A SIP Award medal is an accomplishment that speaks volumes to the general public. "Winning a platinum SIP Award is a wonderful affirmation that has allowed us to creatively market our 360 Double Chocolate Vodka directly to the consumer market," said Stephanie Parsons, marketing manager of Earth Friendly Distilling.
The SIP Awards is sponsored by the most well-known industry publications, such as Bar Business Magazine, Nightclub & Bar Magazine, Chilled Magazine, Food & Beverage Magazine, Modern Distillery Age, Mutineer Magazine, DrinkedIn, Proof66 and DrinkMe Magazine. As an international competition, the SIP Awards' reach is far and wide and, as such, a portion of all proceeds is annually donated to the American Red Cross.
The deadline for entering the SIP Awards competition is May 2, 2011. For entry forms and information on the upcoming competition, please visit or call Sara Walker at 1-888-254-1764.
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