Competition entrants will now receive access to an exclusive annual On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report, built from insights gathered directly from bartenders, bar managers, beverage directors, cocktail consultants, hotel buyers, and hospitality professionals judging the competition.

The Bartender Spirits Awards is introducing one of its most valuable entrant benefits yet with the launch of the Bartender Spirits Awards On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report—an exclusive annual report created from surveys completed by the competition's judges during the judging process.

Going beyond medals and scores, the report provides spirit producers with practical commercial insight into what bars, restaurants, hotels, cocktail venues, and hospitality buyers are actively looking to stock, pour, mix, and recommend.

Every Bartender Spirits Awards entrant will receive complimentary access to the report as part of their competition entry.

The Bartender Spirits Awards is judged by leading bartenders, bar managers, and on-premise buyers, with spirits evaluated using criteria including Mixability, Balance & Versatility, Taste, Package, and Value to identify products suited for the on-premise trade.

Intelligence From The Professionals Behind The Bar

Unlike traditional market reports, the On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report is built from the opinions and purchasing priorities of professionals who build cocktail menus, manage beverage programs, and make buying decisions every day.

The Bartender Spirits Awards judging panels include award-winning bartenders, bar managers, beverage directors, cocktail consultants, hotel beverage buyers, hospitality operators, and leading on-premise spirits professionals. Alongside evaluating spirits, judges complete a short buyer survey covering current purchasing behaviour, cocktail trends, pricing, back-bar strategy, sustainability, and emerging opportunities across the hospitality industry.

The result is a report that reflects the real priorities of the people responsible for deciding which spirits make it onto back bars, cocktail menus, and premium pours.

What The Report Covers

The On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report includes practical commercial intelligence on:

- The top purchasing factors when selecting new spirits
- Fastest-growing spirit categories and cocktail trends
- Premiumization and consumer drinking trends
- Preferred wholesale and on-premise price points
- Bottle design and packaging preferences
- Categories buyers are actively looking to add
- Spirit categories bars are reducing or removing
- Cocktail trends influencing purchasing decisions
- Sustainability initiatives that genuinely influence buying
- The biggest commercial opportunities for brands looking to grow on-premise distribution

Rather than relying on general market reports, producers receive current intelligence gathered directly from professionals running bars, restaurants, hotels, resorts, and hospitality venues.

Supporting Better On-Premise Sales Decisions

The Bartender Spirits Awards were created to recognise spirits that perform successfully in real bar environments. Every spirit is judged for qualities such as mixability, balance, and versatility, taste, packaging, and value—criteria designed to reflect real purchasing decisions behind the bar.

The addition of the On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report further strengthens that mission by helping producers understand exactly what influences buying decisions across today's hospitality industry.

Whether refining pricing, improving packaging, developing cocktail-friendly products, or expanding into bars, restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups, entrants receive practical insight directly from the professionals who decide what gets stocked, poured, mixed, and recommended every day.

More Than A Medal

The On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report joins a growing range of value-added benefits available to Bartender Spirits Awards entrants.

Alongside detailed score breakdowns, expanded judge feedback, commercial recommendations, channel insights, recommended serving occasions, and increased judging transparency, the Buyer Intelligence Report gives entrants something few competitions can offer—direct commercial intelligence from the professionals responsible for building beverage programs and making purchasing decisions across the on-premise industry.

It helps producers understand not only how their spirits performed during judging, but where they are most likely to succeed commercially.

Built From Bartender Expertise

Each survey is completed anonymously by judges participating in the Bartender Spirits Awards. Individual responses remain confidential and are aggregated into an annual industry report available exclusively to competition entrants.

The report is designed to become one of the spirits industry's most valuable on-premise intelligence resources, helping producers better understand the evolving priorities of bars, restaurants, hotels, cocktail lounges, and hospitality buyers.

As the Bartender Spirits Awards continues to evolve, its mission remains clear: to help spirit brands create products that succeed where purchasing decisions are made—behind the bar.

More Than Recognition. Actionable Market Intelligence.

Entries for the next edition of the Bartender Spirits Awards are now open. Every entrant will receive access to the exclusive On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report alongside their competition results, providing producers with both industry recognition and actionable insight from the bartenders, bar managers, beverage directors, and hospitality buyers who influence spirits purchasing decisions every day.

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