The Complete List: American Distilling Institute’s 2018 Craft Spirits Award Winners

And that’s a wrap. The American Distilling Institute’s 12th annual Judging of Craft Spirits is in the books and the awards for best of class, best in category along with other awards including the coveted Distillery of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award have been handed out.

The ADI 2018 annual judging of craft spirits took place in Portland, Oregon, home state to more than 50 distilleries. The event was attended by distilleries and industry product and service suppliers from all over the world. Each year, ADI accepts entries in all classes and categories of craft spirits from small, independently owned distillers, blenders, bitters makers, and producers of aperitif & fortified wines. Spirits are tasted blind and evaluated by a panel of judges made up of distillers, journalists, bar owners, bartenders, retailer, wholesalers, distributors and importers. All entries are considered for awards both for the spirit and the packaging.

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Here’s a summary of the categories along with the complete list of winners below.

Bubble Cap Awards
- Distillery of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Farm Distillery Award
- Best Distillery Visitor Experience
Best of Class
- Certified Craft Distilled Spirits – CCDS
- Certified Craft Blended Spirits – CCBS
- Merchant Bottled Spirits – – MBS
Best of Category
- Certified Craft Distilled Spirits
- Certified Craft Blended Spirits
- Merchant Bottled Spirits
Medal Winners
- Double Gold – Certified Craft Distilled Spirits & Certified Craft Blended Spirits
- Gold
  - Certified Craft Distilled Spirits
  - Certified Craft Blended Spirits & Merchant Bottled Spirits
- Silver
  - Certified Craft Blended Spirits
  - Merchant Bottled Spirits / Other Spirits
- Bronze
  - Certified Craft Distilled Spirits
  - Certified Craft Blended Spirits
  - Merchant Bottled Spirits
- Excellence in Packaging Awards
  - Best Backbar Packaging
  - Best Retail Packaging
  - Gold
  - Silver
  - Bronze

First we’ll share the 2018 Bubble Cap Awards and then the complete list of all winners is below that list. There is a lot to soak in here so, pour yourself your favorite distilled spirit and enjoy as you make plans for next year’s ADI event taking place March 19-21, 2019 in Denver, Colorado.

2018 Bubble Cap Award Winners

Distillery of the Year – Copperworks Distilling, Founders Micah Nutt and Jason Parker. Our cover image, courtesy of ADI includes left to right Copperworks Vice President Jeff Kanof, Micah and Jason.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Hubert Germain-Robin, Master Distiller, Master Blender & Spirits Consultant

Farm Distillery Award – Sourland Mountain Spirits, Founder Ray Disch

Best Distillery Visitor Experience – Lost Spirits Distillery, Founder Bryan Davis

The Complete List of ADI 2018 Medal Winners

Click on any field name to sort the list by medal, spirit or distillery. For example, click on “Distillery” to easily find all the awards for your favorite distillery.

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