Top 10 award-winning spirits to sip this spring
It’s officially alfresco drinking season, so if you’re looking for the perfect pour to join you on your patio this spring, these 10 spirits will keep you in award-winning company.
We can’t speak for the rest of the globe, but it’s safe to say that we in the UK are always happiest when outdoor drinking is on the agenda – because nothing brings us more joy than drinking on a pavement outside our local.
And now that it looks like the good weather is here to stay (at least for the long May bank holiday weekend), we’re assessing our booze stocks to make sure we’re consuming the best this spring.
If you’re doing the same, we’d suggest making sure you have at least one of these 10 award-winning sippers in your drinks cabinet.
All of these products came out on top in one of the latest iterations in The Global Spirits Masters Competitions: The SB Spring Blind Tasting 2026.
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Lazzaroni Panettone Cream Liqueur
Think panettone is just for Christmas? Think again. The Master medal-winning Lazzaroni Panettone Cream Liqueur was inspired by the classic Milanese Christmas cake, but its notes of sweet bread, candied fruit, and subtle citrus happen to sing just as loud in the warmer seasons.
This dessert-like drink took 12 months of dedicated work on the formulation, and the result is an indulgent yet balanced liqueur that sits at 17% ABV and is typically served chilled, sipped on its own, or used to add a twist to cocktails and desserts.
It garnered a high commendation from one judge, who remarked: “Fruit and butter sponge comes through, [and] really captures the flavour of the panettone with the dried fruit too, simply superb. Genuinely surprised how much of the panettone flavour comes through on the palate. Wow!”
Brother’s Bond – Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon
Offering caramel and baking spices on the nose alongside notes of gingerbread, desiccated coconut, bitter orange oils and lovely fresh vanilla pod and creamed coconut on the palate, Brothers Bond walked away from our Spring Tasting with a Master medal for this highly praised Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon.
This expression was created to honour one of the most respected traditions in American whiskey while pushing beyond its minimum standards. While Bottled-in-Bond legally requires four years of ageing, Brother’s Bond deliberately extended this to seven years to unlock greater depth, structure and character, creating a Bourbon that reflects both heritage and patience, and the proof is in the tasting.
Maya Pistola Extra Añejo
Scoring the highest in the Agave round of our spring blind tasting was Maya Pistola’s extra añejo expression, which has been aged for more than three years in virgin American white oak casks and ex-Bourbon casks.
While it shares roots with Tequila, Maya Pistola Agavepura is not Mexican, but proudly Indian, and is the country’s first 100% agave spirit made from wild-growing Agave Americana, which thrives in the Deccan Plateau and is harvested at full maturity.
It was lauded for its notes of “light vanilla, cocoa powder, gentle oak spice”, with one judge detecting “a hint of black tea too, and chocolate-covered hazelnuts,” describing it as “complex and sippable but could also work great in cocktails.”
Tepuy Destino Rum
Ron Tepuy is a new rum from the historic family-owned distillery Destilería Unidas SA (DUSA), which offers a distinctive perspective on the premium side of the category. Drawing inspiration from Venezuela’s extraordinary natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and the enduring rum-making traditions of the generations behind the distillery, the brand was created with a clear purpose: to elevate rum beyond the conventional.
This ethos has led to the creation of the brand’s Tepuy Destino expression, which scored a Gold medal in the competition’s Rum heat, and is characterised by a blend of kettle-distilled and lighter rums. It features tasting notes of dried fruit, caramel, vanilla and nuts, offering a smooth, long finish.
Soplica Pistachio
Soplica Pistachio Liqueur is a smooth, dessert-style spirit that blends creamy pistachio flavour with subtle notes of white chocolate and vodka. Lightly sweet and velvety with a 15% ABV, it’s designed to be served chilled, over ice, or drizzled into coffee and desserts.
Rich but not overly heavy, it leans into that indulgent, nutty profile that makes it feel more like a treat than a traditional spirit – all factors that contributed to it receiving a coveted Master medal from our judges, who praised it for being “sweet nutty and inviting on the nose,” with creamy pistachio and milky white chocolate notes on the palate alongside “a hint of salt and a rich nutty finish”.
Ron Viejo de Caldas – León Dormido Doble Roble
Offering an aroma of “dark sugar and desiccated coconut”, León Dormido Doble Roble took home a Gold medal from this year’s blind tasting.
The 40% ABV rum is part of Ron Viejo de Caldas’ León Dormido series – a luxury, speciality and innovation-driven line that showcases more experimental and premium expressions within Ron Viejo de Caldas.
It has been aged in both Colombian white oak and American white oak barrels, resulting in a balanced and distinctive profile with notes of dried fruit, chocolate and vanilla, boasting an intense reddish mahogany colour, and a long, smooth finish.
Agitator – Chestnut Aged Gin
Swedish distillery Agitator’s third core product in its experimental chestnut cask series, Chestnut Aged Gin, was gladly received by our 2026 judges, with its floral notes and hints of woody spice and coriander securing the spirit a Gold medal.
Distilled under vacuum to preserve volatile aromas and matured in chestnut wood casks, which add a distinct depth of colour and flavour, this gin joins a chestnut-aged rum and chestnut-aged whisky in the series.
It is bottled at 43% ABV and boasts a lingering finish that offers a light touch of oak.
Keris Whisky
The gold-hued, Silver medal-winning Keris Whisky is the first single malt whisky by the Orang Tua Group.
Made entirely in Indonesia, the single malt whisky is crafted from 100% malted barley and has been aged in American oak barrels, followed by secondary maturation in oloroso Sherry casks. The combination has given it a smooth and complex flavour driven by vanilla, with a hint of berries and a lingering woody finish, presenting character way beyond its years.
327 XO
Named in honour of the year that sugarcane is claimed to have first been discovered, 327 XO walked away from this year’s blind tasting sporting a Silver medal.
It boasts a blend of specially selected aged rums from Guyana, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela, alongside natural extracts. All of them were aged separately for a minimum of seven years in the Caribbean tropics, before going through a unique double ageing method in continental Europe, where the rum was diluted with high-quality spring water from the north to bring together hot tropical and cold Nordic characters in one bottle.
Providencia Light Rum – Aged 1 Year
Providencia Light Rum – Aged 1 Year is a Colombian light bulk rum distilled and aged by Providencia, one of the country’s most important agro-industrial operations that is backed by a century of expertise in integrated sugarcane cultivation and processing in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca.
This expression is produced from sugarcane molasses under a fully integrated operational model in which Providencia controls every stage of the process, from sugarcane cultivation to fermentation, distillation, and natural ageing, with no additives of any kind. Traceability and consistency are central pillars of the production philosophy.
All of that expertise contributed to it being deemed Master medal-worthy in this year’s competition, with one judge praising the expression for a balanced nose, despite its punchy 75% ABV. “This is warm at 75% but very well-made alcohol. Neat, it’s creamy, toffee, fruity, and nutty. Water opens up the aroma, some stone fruits and grassy elements. Caramel sweetness on the palate, cooked apples, tarte Tatin, camomile tea. Very complex, versatile – impressive.”
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Season's best: The SB Spring Blind Tasting 2026 results
