The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2017

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94  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2017 WSWA COMPETITIONS WSWA Land! The judges for the 2017 Call for Cocktails: Mixology Competition (left to right): Camper English, cocktail and spirits writer, Alcademics; Michael Page, Beverage Program Development Specialist, Breakthru Beverage Illinois; Caterina Miltenberger, founder and Chief Mixologist, Caterina Creative Culinary; and Max A. Solano, Beverage Program Specialist/Whisky and Spirits Educator, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. Two minutes down as the seven mixologists start to prepare their batched cocktails! T he beverage alcohol industry's leading event uniting suppliers and wholesalers together under one roof- the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Annual Convention & Exposition (WSWA) happened again for the 74th time this year just after Easter. The lobby of the Grand Lakes Orlando JW Marriott hotel transformed from families gearing up for a day at an amusement park and kids in float- ies to a sea of blue, black and grey suits. The event showcased innovative new wine and spirits products from around the world; exciting mixology and tasting competitions; general sessions, receptions, two exhibit halls, hospitality suites and educational sessions on new trends and topics of importance for suppliers, distributors and importers. The Somm Journal and The Tasting Panel once again sponsored the Wine & Spirits Tasting Competition along with two exciting cocktail centric events: the Call for Cocktails and the Wholesaler Iron Mixologist competitions. This year's competitions saw a higher number of wine and spirit entries compared to last year, but our scrupulous panels of 18 wine judges and 16 spirits competition judges awarded fewer Golds and Double Golds: 26 Double Golds and 23 Golds out of 365 spirit entries, and 26 Double Golds and 37 Golds out of 280 wine entries. The winners of 2017 should be especially proud! Mark your calender for April 30 - May 3, 2018 as WSWA celebrates their 75th Annual Convention & Exposition at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV. Registration will open late September 2017. For a list of Gold and Double Gold winners, please refer to results sec- tion starting on page 98 of this issue. DISTRIBUTORS FLOCK TO ORLANDO FOR THE WINE & SPIRITS WHOLESALERS OF AMERICA 74TH ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPOSITION by Jessie Birschbach / photos by Carlos Amoedo

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