Grand Rapids-based Long Road Distillers took home several honors from the inaugural ASCOT awards.
Honors include double platinum recognition for Long Road Original Aquavit and Grand Absinthe, and gold for Long Road Orange Liqueur and Dry Gin. The distillery’s Aquavit also earned the title of best of class and best of category, taking home another “best aquavit” honor from a major spirits competition.
The ASCOT (American Spirits Council of Tasters) Awards honored the best spirits of 2021 and was started by bourbon and spirit critic Fred Minnick. Twenty-seven industry experts who were selected by Minnick judged over 600 spirits from around the globe.
“We’ve always valued Fred’s opinion on different spirits, and we jumped at the chance to share a few of our products with his stellar lineup of judges,” said Kyle VanStrien, co-owner and co-founder of Long Road Distillers. “We’re thrilled with the results.”
Long Road Distillers has regularly been recognized as a leader in the craft spirits industry, winning past awards like best of show (American Craft Spirits Association Awards, Denver International Spirits Competition), best of class (San Francisco International Spirits Competition, American Distilling Institute Judging of Craft Spirits) and best craft spirits distillery (Brandy and Specialty Spirits) by the USA Today 10Best Readers Poll.
The COVID-19 pandemic made large events and competitions more difficult, but the ASCOT Awards got creative by shipping spirit samples to judges around the country over two months.
“Our judges and staff executed this flawlessly,” Minnick said.
Long Road Distillers’ lineup of spirits can be found at its four tasting rooms in Michigan, as well as at more than 2,500 retailers and restaurants throughout the state.
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