The month of December closes the year and culminates with the AWARDS. It is time for the significant rankings, which collect the best products that have been tested during the year in the blind tastings, combined with the latest releases that have recently hit the market.
The cigars and spirits that fall within the AWARDS 2021 have been selected throughout the past 12 months. Only those who recorded the highest scores in blind tastings and reviews (respectively of cigars and spirits) were reselected and tried again in a new blind tasting. Particular attention was paid to the latest releases recently placed on the market.
The countdown has begun. Starting from Monday 13 December, the best products will be revealed every day. Three will be the lists: Top cigars, Top Rums, and Top Whiskies. The rankings will be completed on Friday, 17 December, so you have enough time to find and appreciate the best cigars and the best spirits of 2021 during the holidays.
CIGAR AWARDS
Five are the categories: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Rest of the World (including all the remaining producing countries). For each terroir, the five best cigars, those with the highest scores in the tastings by delivering exceptional smokes, will be chosen and named the best of 2021. The complete 2021 Awards, which will also include the TOP50 cigars, will be published in the Winter 2021 issue of CigarsLover Magazine, including the categories Best Brand, Best Buy and Boutique Brand. Five cigars will be revealed every day, starting from the fifth position to the first of each terroir’s best cigars.
SPIRITS AWARDS
Two lists, two TOP10, will be revealed in which the best ten rums and the best ten whiskies we tested during 2021. Each day there will be new products unveiled on spirits-lover.com, and the awards will then be published in full on CigarsLover Magazine Winter 2021. The whiskies and rums that hold the tenth, ninth, and eighth positions will be revealed on the first day. Two positions will be announced for each distillate in the following days until Friday 11 when the best whiskey and the best rum of the year will be revealed.
HOW ARE THE AWARDS MADE?
Among the products tested during the year in blind tastings and reviews, those that scored the best score get re-selected. These products were then tested once again in a new blind tasting, which means not knowing what they are during the tasting. The test results are then compared, and the ranking of the best cigars, whiskeys, and rums of the year is drawn up. More information on how the procedures are carried out, which vary in the cigar and spirits categories, can be found in the specific Awards pages (links above).