Southern Indiana Business Report
FRENCH LICK — The Orange County distillery known as Spirits of French Lick is in the spotlight again after receiving American Spirits Council of Tasters ASCOT Awards. The international competition was created by spirits personality and veteran tasting judge Fred Minnick, and it provides a unique opportunity for distillers to have their products recognized through Minnick’s DASH radio show, YouTube channel, social media, news articles, newsletters and festivals. The ASCOT Awards program acknowledges all aspects of the spirits industry and is essentially two competitions: Taste and Marketing + Design.
Judges selected the Spirits of French Lick design work as a winner in the 2021 ASCOT Awards Marketing + Design competition. Entries were evaluated at random by respected journalists and industry professionals and given scores to determine the category winners. Work is judged on its quality, creativity and resourcefulness. The Bottled in Bond Label Series of The Mattie Gladden and Lee W. Sinclair bourbons was selected as Double Platinum designation under the Label Design | Historical/Traditional category.
Under the Taste competition category of Whiskey | Craft Bourbon, Spirits of French Lick won Platinum honors with The Mattie Gladden High Rye Bourbon and Lee W. Sinclair 4 Grain Bourbon Bottled in Bond. The competition, led by Minnick, assembled some of the top spirits tasters in the industry, including Andrea Meriwether, Jim Rutledge and Peggy Noe Stevens, to name a few. Judges for the competition are trained, experienced, long-time spirits professionals who have participated in numerous other tasting competitions. All entries were blind tested and graded on a 100-point scale based on a series of criteria relating to appearance, aroma, taste and finish.
Spirits of French Lick products are distributed throughout Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. Ecommerce distribution can be found through Seelbachs.com and Spirithub.com.