Checking Off a Bucket List Item: Judging the Whiskey and Barrel Nite Consumer Choice Awards (WABCCA)

 

About a month ago, I was able to cross something off my bucket list. Honestly, I never in a million years thought I’d be able to do it because I’ve been less than silent about my opinion of spirits competitions. However, I was invited to be a judge for the Whiskey and Barrel Nite Consumer Choice Awards (WABCCA) at the Bottom Lounge in Fulton Market in Chicago. I jumped at the opportunity.

The Competition Itself

 

The WABCCA is the brainchild of Dave Sweet and Mario Campa. Dave hosts and owns many tasting events around the country and has been a senior vice president with Whisky Magazine. Mario is one of the founders of the Scotch Addict blog, hosted distillery tours in Islay and around Scotland, and a founder of Barrel and Bottle.

 

One thing that makes WABCCA different from other competitions is that the judges are consumers ranging in experience from casual drinkers to serious enthusiasts and on- and off-premises retailers who service consumers.

 

Like most spirits competitions, there are medals handed out: bronze, silver, and gold. Moreover, the Consumer Choice Award is the best of the gold winners from each category. Only one Consumer Choice Award is offered per category.

 

WABCCA uses a 100-point scoring system, which is obviously more complicated than my Bottle, Bar, or Bust rating system, and works as follows:

• Bronze: 70-79 points
• Silver: 80-89 points
• Gold: 90-100 points

 

The nose had a maximum of 20 points, the palate 30, the finish 20, and “overall” 30.

 

While it is possible to have multiple gold winners in a single category, it is entirely possible to not medal at all if a whiskey does not score enough points to achieve 70 points.

 

Whiskeys were first divided into general categories (North American, Scotch, Irish, International Single Malts, International Blends). They were further divided into their respective whiskey types (e.g., Bourbon, Tennessee Whisky, Canadian, Rye, etc.). Categories also included Flavored Whiskeys, Finished Whiskeys, Independent Bottlings, and Single Barrel/Special Release Whiskeys.

 

A second thing that differentiates WABCCA from others is age is absolutely irrelevant. Instead, whiskeys are split into three price slots (e.g., for Scotch, the slots were $80 and Under, $81 to $150, and $150 and Over). WABCCA ignores age because its research shows that most whiskey drinkers consider price over age. Frankly, I agree with that, as I’ve said for many years that a whiskey’s age is merely a number. A whiskey is ready when it is ready.

 

My Experience

First of all, I thought it was a blast. We tasted about 45 whiskeys. I was sure not to swallow any and cleansed my palate between each one. Shockingly, I walked out of there wholly clear-headed, which I was concerned about. Spitting is your friend when it comes to judging.

 

We had no idea what we tasted except that we knew what type of whiskey we were drinking. We were provided glasses with stickers denoting the sample we had to log on our sheets.

 

Secondly, the most challenging aspect for me was the 100-point system, then indicating whether I’d buy it for myself or a friend. Part of that was problematic as I tasted whiskeys that I didn’t rate so high, but I enjoyed them, and yes, I’d buy them. Usually, the lower rating was because something like the nose was unappealing, but the whiskey itself was delicious. On the flip side of the coin, I found some that were very nice, I rated them highly, but I wouldn’t have purchased them for myself or a friend. They were good, but they weren’t things I’d go out and buy.

 

I was not too fond of some of what I tasted, and there was a suggestion to use 70 points as a basement. Well, those I didn’t like didn’t get 70 points; I wasn’t giving anything away for the sake of hitting a specific number. I had a few in the low 60s. I stand by those ratings.

 

Thirdly, and this is something I would have never considered writing about, the food provided was fantastic. The fact that the staff considered there might be gluten-free judges was refreshing. We had our special crackers, and there were gluten-free pizza options. Here’s where the big shout-out comes:  Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company is absolutely to die for! Mrs. Whiskeyfellow and I enjoyed it so much that night we agreed to hit them up for dinner, too. I put up a Yelp review that you can check out here.

 

My Fellow Judges

 

There were a few media folks like me: distributors, distillers, brand ambassadors, and just regular consumers who enjoy whiskey. 

The big rule of the day was no discussing what you were currently sipping to avoid influencing another judge’s ratings. That was easy. What was less so was keeping things somewhat quiet. I sat at a table with some hilarious folks who kept me laughing. Every so often, I’d have a whiskey I just put in my mouth and had to spit it out because of the one-liners. Thankfully, there was enough of a pour to try sipping again.

 

Judging and Awards

 

I could individually list the winners and what medals they earned, or you can visit the website. Check them out and see if you're surprised - both by who took a Consumer Choice Award and who took Bronze. There were some that I simply nodded and agreed with, and others that caused me to raise an eyebrow.

 

Final Thoughts 

I had a great time. I've always been a fan of blind tastings, and this was the ultimate in that format. My thoughts on whiskey competitions remain unchanged. I understand the idea that you don't want to score something below 70 points so that everyone who enters earns at least a Bronze. At the same time, if something is unpleasant, why reward it? That's the whole participation trophy aspect that I've never embraced. To me, it stresses the importance and validity of the Bottle, Bar, or Bust rating system.

Would I do this again? I'm looking forward to the next opportunity. If you're ever offered a chance to judge, do it. Cheers!

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.