When was the last time you shopped for new wine or liquor? Let’s assume you’re not too familiar with a particular category. Picture yourself, casually scanning shelves or online shopfronts with bottles coming in varied shapes, sizes, and hues. How do you make your purchase decision? With little fuss and limited time, you might just Add To Cart the safest option. The same old familiar brand that you’ve been having for ages. Or perhaps the prettiest-looking bottle that might, hopefully, impress the gift recipient.

Then you notice glints of golden medallions with tags like "Double Gold🥇" or "Singapore World Spirits Competition." Before you know it, you're taking a closer look at one of these award-winning bottles that seem to have something the others didn’t have. Then, swayed by the endorsement of a prestigious spirits competition with serious-sounding panels of industry experts, you feel a little more assured about buying this bottle. 

Yet, have you ever wondered how a bottle earns its medals and laurels? Unless we are deeply involved in the spirits industry, most of us know next to nothing about the unseen process that transforms a humble new bottler into a heralded champion. This process might seem as arcane as making that nice single malt we pour on special occasions. Who are these judges? How do they decide a winner? And do they need to wear robes? And so when I received an invitation to shadow the judges at this year’s Singapore World Spirits Competition or “SWSC,” I couldn't say no!

Introduced in 2019, the SWSC was created by Tasting Alliance. These are the same folks who organise the famous San Francisco World Spirits Competition, which is one of the world's most influential spirits awards. The same stringent methodology of the San Francisco competition is applied in Singapore. Additionally, the SWSC shines a spotlight on Asian spirits producers, bottlers and products available to Asian consumers.

This means the Competition has greater resonance with Asia-Pacific consumers, even as it accepts entries from all over the world, from Scotch single malt, American Bourbon, to Chinese baijiu and Korean soju. This year, I even spotted an entry for a rakija – a kind of fruit brandy often made in Croatia and other Balkan states.

With a bubbling anticipation, I stepped into the private venue where judging takes place. The day began at 9:00 AM, and they have received over 400 entries of spirits for the judges to assess. Everyone was indeed wearing a white robe. I was allowed to participate in their blind tastings.

Meet The Judges

The judges were a potpourri of different people from varied backgrounds and experiences with different spirits. They were also recognisable faces from both the Asian and international spirits scene. I ran into Kwek Yi Xian the co-owner of The Single Cask Bar and Brand Ambassador for Bruichladdich in Singapore, and Roland Ng (better known as @whiskysifu) who presides over the largest whiskey society in California and holds many spirits-related festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Over the span of two days, each judge personally had to taste over 100 spirits this year. To gear up for the herculean task, the judges were armed with roasted coffee beans to sniff and a plate of cheese, dry crackers, and celery to refresh their palates.

Now, you might imagine this to be the dream job – getting to taste all these great spirits! But let's not forget the golden rule of this exercise: Spit, don’t swallow. No matter how sacrilegious this felt to me, the judges had to faithfully spit out every mouthful into the waiting spittoon. Once the round is over, the spittoon brims with discarded spirits from the table. Lest you forget, there are over a hundred spirits to go through. If they swallowed everything they liked, they’d find themselves completely wasted before midday.

Day One: First Round of Blind Tastings 

The first thing I noticed was the anonymity. Each spirit stood humbly in the same standard nosing glass as part of the blind tasting process.

Generous pours of about 50ml were given to the judges so they could savour and really get to know each spirit. But judges were not told who produced or bottled each spirit, or the price point. They were only told the category of each spirit e.g. “Soju” or “Japanese Whisky” and the ABV, and they evaluated each spirit purely on the basis of aroma and taste.

In the first round, each judge tasted and graded the spirits independently, bestowing one of four possible ratings: GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE, or no score. There were no side-by-side comparisons; each was evaluated according to its own defined Class.  For instance, a bottle of rhum agricole from Guadeloupe would be judged according to the “Rhum Agricole” Class, and won’t be compared with the “Flavoured Rum” or “Southeast Asian Rum” Classes.

The proctor would go to the table to tabulate the judges’ notes, and assign grades to each individual entry.

So what does a “Bronze” or a “Double Gold” really mean for someone who is shopping for a bottle of spirit? Here’s a quick summary of the guidelines the judges use:

• GOLD medals are awarded if a judge thinks that a particular product is exceptional, with qualities that set the standard for other products of their category.
• SILVER medals are awarded to products that are outstanding, and amongst the best of their category.
• BRONZE medals are awarded to products that are commercially sound and modestly attractive.
• NO AWARD is assigned if a judge thinks that a product doesn’t quite hit the mark for medal recognition.

For really exceptional entries that receive the GOLD medal from everyone in the panel, those entries would receive automatically receive DOUBLE GOLD.

Notes and Feedback for Distillers

This was no leisurely tasting session for the judges. Each of them were meticulously swirling, sniffing, sipping. They painstakingly document their observations and give detailed tasting notes for each entry.

I asked, why was this necessary if the judges were already handing out their medals anyway?

What I learnt was that such competitions aren’t only about crowning winners and recognising excellence. This platform serves a crucial role to the spirits industry by providing comprehensive and impartial expert feedback to the producers and bottlers.

The invaluable and compiled insights offer a mirror for self-reflection and refinement. For craft spirits producers still honing their craft, this expert feedback can be especially pivotal. But I’ve also noticed submissions from the biggest producers in the American spirits industry  (I’m not at liberty to disclose the brand yet!). It provides a unique opportunity to see their creations through the eyes of experts, then use this insight to perfect their recipes and techniques.

The Competition is also open to distillers whose products have not yet graced the shelves of liquor stores. This also serves as an ideal testbed for new products to be launched, an inexpensive expert-led focus group so to speak.

Day Two: Final Sweepstakes Round 

Day two, the final day of the Competition, ushered us into the more exciting (and considerably less liver-taxing) “Sweepstakes” round. Only the elite Double Gold entries, already having won the unanimous approval of their panels, were invited to this grand finale, for the prestigious overall awards.

First, there are the Best of Class Winners (the best spirit of each Class type).

From that pool, the judges determine the Best in Show Winners (the champion within each of 5 broad categories: Unaged White Spirit, Aged White Spirit, Whisk(e)y, Brandy, and Liqueur).

Recall that in the First Round, each spirit was judged on its own merits. In this round, the gloves were off, and the rules of engagement changed. Judges now compare each spirit against others in the same Class, and collectively vote for the Best of Class or Best in Show Winners. This was where things got interesting and challenging.

As a spectator, I was both grateful and relieved. On one hand, I got to taste the fantastic spirits that were already unanimous DOUBLE GOLD winners. On the other hand, I was glad I wasn’t asked to render an opinion. Often times, it was difficult to choose between several amazing spirits. It’s like being asked to choose a favourite child, or in my case, a favourite pet.

Judges Don’t Aways Agree

The fun part of shadowing the judges is that I could listen to their discussions and witness their disagreements.In the earlier round, the judges were quite consistent in awarding similar scores, or non-awards for the matter. But in this final round, there were occasional instances where the judges were evenly split on voting for the best of each category. Ties in voting weren’t common, but also not exactly rare.

Also, as I said, the diverse panel consists of judges with different backgrounds (e.g. you could be a whisky expert, or a baijiu expert, for instance). This means that there is a degree of subjectivity between the best spirits. What is too fiery for a Japanese whisky lover could be alright for a rye enthusiast. And in the context of the Competition, one rum that many found incredibly hot actually felt comfortable to myself and Yi Xian, both of us accustomed to the punch of ultra high-proof rums.

A Tale From a Baijiu Expert

In close-race situations where it's challenging to make a decision, judges might hear from their colleagues who know a bit more about a subject matter – something we witnessed when it came down to a line-up of Strong Aroma Baijiu.

One of the judges from China who was well-versed with baijiu briefly discussed the flavours one should expect from a good Strong Aroma Baijiu. A good Strong Aroma Baijiu would have a pure and rich sweetness without any off notes that he describes as “muddiness.” It should also go down very smoothly despite having a high alcohol content. He also shared that in China, it is common to judge the quality of a baijiu according to whether someone wakes up with a hangover after drinking an entire bottle.

As everyone – including Maddee who organises the Singapore Competition – became absorbed into his speech, he regaled us with a story that was rather hilarious and absurd. Apparently, it is industry practice for certain baijiu companies, looking to test the quality of their own products, to coax unsuspecting tasters into becoming absolutely hammered on their baijiu. The following day, these baijiu companies would have the gall to survey the tasters for any hangover symptoms, headaches or if they could go about with their activities.

Everyone definitely enjoyed hearing his perspective and story about this unconventional baijiu quality test. Fortunately for our esteemed judges at the SWSC this year, they would be spared the “Baijiu Hangover Test.” They were provided safe, responsible quantities of baijiu. The goal was to savour, judge and spit, not to test the limits of human endurance against the potency of alcohol.

Reflections After The Competition Day

The next time you encounter a bottle with a DOUBLE GOLD from the Singapore World Spirits Competition, you'll now have a deeper understanding of the rigorous judging process it has gone through.

It's widely recognized that cultural differences can greatly influence taste preferences, a lesson the likes of Suntory learned when they adapted their initially peaty whisky to appeal more to the local Japanese palate. When comparing average or mediocre products, quality may be easily discernible. However, when it comes to high-quality spirits, personal preferences and cultural nuances could play a more significant role.

The unique aspect of the Singapore Competition is its consideration and understanding of the taste preferences of Asian consumers. From my behind-the-scenes experience and interactions with the judges, it was clear they possess an intimate understanding of how things are really done in the Asian spirits scene.

As the whirlwind of intense tasting sessions and animated discussions drew to a close, an air of mystery still remains. Despite sampling a multitude of spirits, none of the judges and myself, were privy to the brands we had tasted. The anticipation for the results of the 2023 Singapore World Spirits Competition is definitely high!

@CharsiuCharlie