The Honey Spirits Competition is hosted by the National Honey Board to recognize the best honey spirits in the country.

The Honey Spirits Competition is open to all active distilleries operating within the United States that commercially produce honey spirits.

Registration for the competition is free. A distillery may submit one or multiple entries per category as long as the styles are within our guidelines. Multiple entries per category will be accepted, but each spirits may only be entered in one category. All applicants must complete the online registration form to be considered registered for the competition.

• Each entry must use honey, either as a distillate or as a sweetener to enhance the product.
• Distillery must be located in the United States.
• Entries must be commercially available in the Untied States.
• Distillery must be operational, which means that it must be actively distilling spirits in a licensed/permitted location.
• Distillery must have a federal TTB (U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) Basic Permit.

The 2024 Honey Spirits Competition will take place in St. Louis, Missouri. Date is TBD. The judging will be closed to the public.

The Honey Spirits Competition medals will be awarded on a merit basis by a majority vote. Judges are asked to evaluate the spirits in silence until everyone on the panel has finished their evaluation. A moderator records the judges’ votes.

Spirits are presented to judges in a blind tasting format. Judging is absolutely anonymous; no spirits bottles are visible to the judges at any time until the competition is over. No judge may evaluate a product in which he/she has a stake or ownership. Judging is not based on personal preference, but by product quality and the use of honey in the spirit.

The judges’ decision is final and awards will not be changed after the judging is finished.

All entries will receive judges notes and all winners will receive a physical medal and a digital seal for use on packaging and promotional materials.

All entries will be judged for the design and packaging awards. There is no additional registration required. 

Package your spirits to ensure they won’t break during transit. The National Honey Board is not responsible for broken shipments, however we will contact the distillery if broken bottles are received. 

Spirits shipped in special containers will not be returned, and any unused spirits will not be sent back to the applicant after the competition.

Please consider the environment before shipping your entries. We encourage all distilleries to use recyclable packaging and materials when possible. 

• Shipping dates will be announced in 2024.
• Shipping address will be announced in 2024.
• All entrants must submit two 750ml bottles, or the equivalent of.
• Shipments must include a copy of the registration email confirmation.
• Each entrant is responsible for shipping costs.
• Please note that your shipment must arrive before the final shipping date for the competition organizers to ensure they are judged. Late entries are subject to not being judged.

Spirits Distilled from Honey

A spirit distilled from 100% honey, the fermented juice of honey, wine of honey, honey wine or mead. Spirits in this category must be distilled solely from honey or fermented honey wine without the addition of alternative sugars.

Spirits Distilled from Honey and Flavored

The same requirements as Spirits Distilled from Honey, but the use of fruits, herbs and spices is allowed. The distilled spirit must contain at least 51% honey.