In 2022, London-based The Spirtis Business hosted a total of 21 Masters. In each Masters tournament, the winner of the Taste Master is the only Supreme Master of the competition, and it is again determined by blind tasting from the wine received by the Master in that competition.
Below, I will give you an inventory of some of the 2022 Global Masters Spirits Tasting Master winners, of which the whisky category is the most eye-catching.
Low & No Taste Masters 2022
Winner: Lyre's Italian Sprite
Launched by Australian Lyre's, this non-alcoholic spirit successfully replicates the essence of Italian Sprite (Italy's most famous and popular alcoholic aperitif, originating from the blend of Venetian wine with soda), blended with orange and rhubarb, which balances bitter and sweet well, with plenty of aromas and flavors such as red fruits, cranberries and fresh orange peel.
- Tequila & Mezcal Taste Master 2022
Winner: Sierra Milenario Tequila Extra-Añejo
Sierra Milenario from Mexico was one of the first tequila manufacturers to stop using artificial fertilizers. Made from 100% blue Weber agave, aged in French oak barrels for at least 4 years, with an alcohol content of 41% ABV, the wine has a resinous, rich and bold aroma, and some dates and dried fruits; Spicy taste, very mellow, with toffee and subtle wood influences, the palate is round, balanced and delicious.
- Rum & Cachaça Taste Master 2022
Winner: Rum-Bar White Overproof Rum
Hailed from Jamaica's Worthy Park Estate, it is a blend of three canned distilled rums with an alcohol content of 63.5% ABV, tropical fruit notes of banana, mango and other exotic fruits, accompanied by pronounced vanilla and botanical notes.
- Tonic & Mixer Taste Master 2022
Winner: Double Dutch ginger beer
This ginger beer from the UK adds three different brands of ginger to perfectly balance spicy and earthy notes with a hint of fresh citrus. In the Masters, he won the Master Tasting Award for his "rich aroma of ginger juice", complemented by "excellent carbonation and excellent spice aroma".
– Cognac Taste Master 2022
Winner: Cognac Frapin – Château Fontpinot XO
Picked, distilled, aged and bottled from Château de Maplepino, owned by the Frapin family, the wine is 100% Grande Champagne cognac, with rich aromas of fruit, almond, hazelnut, nougat, etc., rich and homogeneous on the palate, and is known for its exceptionally long aftertaste and subsequent lasting impression.
- Asian Spirits Taste Master 2022
Winner: Ki No Tea Kyoto dry gin
Dried gin from Jimei Distillery in Japan is made from juniper berries, iris, akamatsu, yuzu, lemon, gyokuro and tencha green teas, etc., with an alcohol content of 45.1% ABV, famous for the aroma of "weak tea" and "fresh aroma", the taste is "woody dry in tea", and the aromatic spices enhance its taste, which is very interesting and different.
Hard Seltzer Taste Master 2022
Winner: Young heart Seltzer Green Tea & Muscat Grape
From the Belgian Young heart, it is a low-carb distillery using Sencha and Gunpowder, as well as muscadine grapes and a little celery. With an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV, the wine has the aroma of green tea and some meadow flowers, and the taste buds have the sweetness of grapes.
- Scotch Whisky Taste Master 2022
Winner: Old Particular Dailuaine 18 Years Old
Bottled by independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co, distilled in June 2003 and bottled in June 2021, the wines were finished and matured in sherry barrels with an alcohol content of 48.2% ABV and a limited edition of 170 bottles. The wine received the Master Tasting Award for its "aromas of red fruits, honey and spices, and a very expressive and complex palate".
- American Whiskey Taste Master 2022
Winner: WL Weller 12 Years Old
Sourced from Buffalo Trace, the wine is made from a high wheat ratio and has an alcohol content of 45% ABV, and has won the Master Tasting Award for its "great vanilla, coconut, chocolate and peach flavors" and "super silky taste, sweetness, perfect balance of oak and spices, rich in depth".
- Irish Whiskey Taste Master 2022
Winner: Redbreast 27 Years Old
The wine is an Irish single-pot distilled whisky that after three distillations is matured in bourbon, sherry and ruby port barrels, with an alcohol content of 53.1% ABV, with "a rich and spicy taste, juicy red berries, fresh bread, and enough dryness to make it even more delicious" and "a complex whisky with a rich personality, perfectly balanced with the ideal level of ageing and barrel selection".
- World Whisky Taste Master 2022
Winner: Starward Tawny #2
Originally from Starward Distillery in Melbourne, Australia, fully ripened in freshly burnt tawny fortified barrels with an alcohol content of 48% ABV, it was awarded the Master Tasting Medal for its "vanilla cake aroma, smooth and balanced taste, dark fruit and layers of spices."
- Vodka Taste Master 2022
Winner: Snow Tree Organic Vodka Pear & Ginger (Belvedere Organic Infusions Pear & Ginger)
This rye vodka is a blend of organic pear, fresh ginger and linden honey with 40% ABV alcohol and warm natural fruit and spice flavors.
- Luxury Taste Master 2022
Winner: Ardbeg 25 Years Old
In the Masters of Luxury Spirits (Super‐premium‐and‐Above Spirits (£100 or more), Abbe 25 years old for his "mushroom smell, spicy, sweet and pungent taste", "excellent taste and long aftertaste", alcohol content 46% ABV, non-condensing filtration.
- Gin Taste Master 2022
Winner: Hernö Navy Strength Gin
Herno Navy-Strength Gin from Sweden, described as having a "mineral and lovely spice" flavor, 57% ABV alcohol by volume, made from eight plant ingredients: Hungarian juniper berries, Bulgarian coriander, lemon peel, Swedish woodberries, English compote, Indian black pepper, Indonesian cinnamon and Madagascar vanilla.
- Liqueur Taste Master 2022
Winner: Golden Eight – The Williams Pear Liqueur
Massenez Distillery from Virginia, USA, aged for 8 years, 25% ABV, with a "wonderful complex taste" and "crispy pears, rich syrup, butterscotch, and mild spices".
Pre-Mixed & RTD Taste Master 2022
Winner: Starward (New) Old Fashioned
Blended with Stavaud whiskey and homemade bitters, wattle seeds and de merara sugar, with an alcohol content of 32% ABV, "an excellent old-fashioned cocktail – delicious and sweet" and "great body and length".
Design & Packaging Best in Class 2022
Winner: Battery Point Whisky
Battery Point Winery in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, launched packaging that was awarded the Master Tasting Award for its beauty, trendy colours, minimalism and sustainability.
Great Sue: WSET (International Foundation for Wine and Spirits Education) Advanced Certification, SMWA (Scottish Single Malt College) Advanced Certification, dedicated to the educational promotion of wine and spirits. Welcome to follow.