The month of December closes the year and culminates with the AWARDS. It is time for the significant rankings. We 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 2023 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 Top Rums and Top Whiskies were revealed last week on spirits-lover.com. This week, we’ll continue with the Top Cigars, and the rankings will be completed on Friday, December 15, so you have enough time to find and appreciate the best cigars and the best spirits of 2023 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 2023. The complete 2023 Awards, which will also include the TOP 50 cigars, will be published in the CigarsLover Magazine Issue V – 2023, including the categories Best Brands, Best Buy, Best Boutique cigars, and Best 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 TOP 10, have revealed the best ten rums and the best ten whiskies we tested during 2023. They were unveiled on spirits-lover.com, and the awards will then be published in detail in CigarsLover Magazine Issue V – 2023.
HOW ARE THE AWARDS MADE?
Among the products tested during the year in blind tastings and reviews, those that scored the best ratings get re-selected. These products were then tested once again in a new blind tasting, which means not knowing what they were 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).