About
Our Tasting Awards are the most precise, accurate and up-to-date competition for sugarcane spirits in terms of organisation and diffusion.
Applying to ISS Tasting Awards provides a 3-in-1 service
• 30 days of judging
• World’s best experts
• ISO certified analysis
• The ultimate purchase guide for consumers & buyers
How do we stand-out from others competitions ?
1 day for 50-100 samples
30 days for 50 samples
Localized (physical gatherings)
Globalized (full-remote)
Often generic
Specific to nowadays market segments
Winners listing
In-depth aromas analysis
Public product sheets (purchase guide)
We take a game changing approach in operating spirits competitions, while at the same time aiming to educate through transparency and precision.
Cyrille Mald, CEO
Judging process
The most advanced and up-to-date process
Judges receive coded samples that do not reveal the brand or expression and have one month of evaluation to complete their extended analysis. We then gather and process the results.
Unanimously acknowledged experts
Our experts have been selected for their recognised knowledge as well as their geographic location, to lower the potential for cultural bias to a minimum.
1 month of evaluation phase
In order to lend the Judges the best conditions to evaluate all the products, we allow them 30 days to complete their analysis.
Blind tastings
The samples are anonymous in terms of brand and specific expressions. Discussion of individual samples is prevented through the use of judge specific codes for each product.
Tracked & secured online notations
All results are gathered on our secured online account. Judges are not allowed to communicate about the results unless very specific issues and only with the Jury’s panel manager.
Exclusive results sheets
All results are eventually compiled in our sugarcane spirits world base, which includes fully detailed product sheets with advanced in-depth organoleptic analysis. This method is exclusive to the ISS Awards.
Our Jury’s panel is composed of some of the most skilled, dedicated and influential sugarcane spirits experts all around the world. Learn more about them on their profile sheets.
Categories
Following market reality
International Sugarcane Spirits Tasting Awards are limited to 16 categories to lend more visibility to the prize winners.
We categorized taking into account markets & consumers main concerns : sugar rate, base of distillate, age statements and production origin.
Prizes
Limited winners, valuable prestige
Number of awarded entries are limited by the rules, not by the amount of participants.
With less than 200 awarded products each year, we grant winners the most exclusive prize on the market.
Canne d’Or
The ‘Canne d’Or’ is the highest prize awarded at the International Rum Awards, the most prestigious award in the Rum Industry. It is granted to the best rum of the year chosen from among the best Finalists.
Gold medals
The Gold Medal is the ultimate prize for each spirit type. It rewards the very best of each category, based on the global score.
Finalists
The title of ‘International Sugarcane Spirits Awards Finalist’ is a reward in itself that Finalists may use. To ensure proper exposure, each category shortlist is capped at 10 finalist disregarding the number of entries.
Best of Region
9 prizes for the highest regional score to showcase the diversity of the rum entering the competition. Regions are : Africa, Asia, Caribbeans, Europe, Indian Ocean, North America, Central America, South America, Oceania & Pacific
Special awards
Special prizes are awarded upon Jury’s collegial decision and may vary each year. They are not subject to additional entry fee and it’s not possible to choose to participate or not. A few examples of prizes: best organic product, best value-for-money, best independent bottler, best single cask…
Benefits
For all entrants
Get your products evaluated under our proprietary detailed tasting review.
Our judges evaluate texture, features, and potential defects. In addition to a global base-100 scoring, we process harmonised and detailed nose, palate, and finish aromas. This method has been developed exclusively for ISS Awards.
Showcase your yearly rating to worldwide consumers & professionals.
Our Product Sheets Database is made publicly available from our website. Sheets are renewed from one year to another and are meant to be the ultimate reference guide for sugarcane spirits consumers & buyers worldwide. Nevertheless, archive notations are also displayed for multi-year entries and are a consistency marker throughout years.
Imprint the international market and benefit from our online traction.
The ISS Awards communicate throughout the year and use targeted PRs in order to ensure notoriety and awareness about our Product Sheets Database.
Stand-out on shelf and increase purchase impulse with our official QR code
In addition to the digital artwork we provide you, you can order our official QR code label rolls. This dedicated QR code directs straight to your product sheets on our database providing full tasting notes while still in purchase context.
Additional winning opportunities free of charge
Participation to Regional Award & Special Prizes are included for all entries.
For all Finalists
Enter the exclusive list of the world’s 100 best sugarcane spirits.
The ISS Awards recognise excellence, and we ensure this by the selection of the best judging experts, as well capping the number of products we award. Being shortlisted is already amongst the highest recognitions your product can get.
Receive your printed official certificate
We provide you with your Official Certificate to be displayed in your sales folders, website, at your office, production facility and anywhere else you need to showcase your excellence and build your company culture.
Ready-made exclusive marketing tools for promoting your award
You’ll be able to download a ready-to-use toolset for digital media as well as your medals digital artworks.
Enjoy international exposure through our partners & influencers network
On top of being displayed in our website results database, Finalists are announced and pushed through social & physical media campaigns as well as exclusive PRs and newsletters directed to the most influential industry representatives, including distributors, buyers and investors on each market.
Stand-out on shelves with our official medals
In addition to your medals digital artworks, you can order printed label rolls to let the consumers know how excellent you are.
Official trophy available for order
We give you the opportunity to order your personalized Official trophy. This trophy will be offered if you attend the Ceremony.
For all Winners
Make your product recognized as one of the 30 world’s best.
Your product being ranked, through extensive blind tasting and by the most acknowledged experts in the segment, as the best in its category, you can officially brag about having produced one of 30 world’s best sugarcane spirit, period.
Ensure a worldwide extended media coverage
This ranking being very limited, we can ensure to properly shout about the winners through dedicated campaigns on all channels and markets.
Attend the Canne d’Or Ceremony free of charge
All winners will receive 2 invitations to the Canne d’Or ceremony and will also benefit from exclusive and limited discounts for extra guests.
For the Canne d’Or winner
Get your product recognized as “the world’s best sugarcane spirit of the year”
You will get worldwide exclusive PRs and media features for your product as being officially designated “the best sugarcane spirit of the year” by industry most influential perks. Media coverage includes filmed interviews and photo shooting. Let us make your excellence a star of you.
4 invitations to the Canne d’Or Ceremony
And 10 specially discounted seats for extra guests. Gather your team and family to your world success !
Entry infos
Key dates
October 15, 2021
October 22, 2021
December 15, 2021
March 5, 2022
Entry fees
Entry fee includes fully detailed public product sheets with aromatic profiles within our search engine, as well participation to regional prize and special prizes.
The fees are paid at online registration. If the payment was eventually to be rejected, we couldn’t validate the participation.
Taxes:
• For France-based companies: 20% VAT.
• For EU-based companies outside France: there is no VAT if you provide your intra-community VAT number, otherwise 20% VAT.
• For companies based outside the EU: there is no VAT.
Preparing your entry
We require a certain amount of information in order to display proper product sheets to the public. Make yourself a quick registration process by ensuring you have the elements ready.
Ready to enter ?
Apply now online and get your excellence recognized.
