2021 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition Gives Top Spot To A Whiskey

by Gary Carter
January 8, 2022

The recent Craft Distillers Spirits Competition 2021 edition, which took place in Santa Rosa, Calif., saw an Indian-inspired whiskey take top honors.

Sran Spirits’ Daru Canadian Whiskey, which one judge described as “smooth, elegant, and sophisticated,” took a double gold medal as well as Best of the Best honors.

Sran Spirits was founded by two brothers, inspired by what’s said to be their father’s history of making spirits in his native India. Daru is an Indian-inspired whiskey with a 100% Canadian corn blend that gives it a unique sweet and fruity taste.

Aged for a minimum of three years in Canadian oak barrels, Daru also undergoes filtration through activated charcoal, helping to create a smooth palate with touches of vanilla throughout.

Debra Del Fiorentino, who owns, manages and produces professional competitions in the wine, cider and spirits categories, established the Craft Distillers Spirits Competition in 2017 to give smaller producers a place to shine.

Any distiller that is bonded and sells its spirits publicly can enter, no matter where in the world it’s headquartered. The 2021 competition saw the number of entries nearly triple over its predecessor, continuing the expansion experienced each year since its founding.

“As a fairly young competition, we’re still experiencing growth in our entry pool as word gets out,” Del Fiorentino said in a prepared statement. “It’s absolutely the right time to spotlight small producers, many of which are struggling for survival right now. Any support we can offer to keep these amazing craft distilleries in business is definitely worth our efforts.”

The competition is judged by fellow distillers; qualified members of the media; spirits and distilling educators and researchers; and retail buyers. You can find a full list of gold medal winners and above by going to www.winecompetitions.com/craft-distillers-spirits-2021-results.