The National Honey Board, Longmont, Colo., announced that it is hosting its first Honey Spirits Competition aimed at recognizing distillers who use honey in their products.  From honey-flavored whiskeys to high-end spirits distilled from honey, the spirits industry has seen the value in using honey as evidenced by the growing number of new made-with-honey products in the marketplace, the company says.

 The board’s first honey completion will be judged in October, with registration due Aug. 31. The competition will feature nine categories, each requiring the distilled spirit to use honey in the product. Categories include vodka, gin, bourbon/whiskey, rum, tequila/mezcal, liqueurs/specialty spirits, brandy, spirits distilled with honey as primary fermentation substrate, and design/packaging.

“We are excited to launch the Honey Spirits Competition to recognize distillers that use honey in innovative ways to create truly unique products that carry the flavors and aromatics of honey,” said Catherine Barry, National Honey Board’s director of marketing, in a statement. “It’s been fascinating to see honey’s use in spirits expand beyond the whiskey category into products such as rums and specialty liqueurs.”

The Honey Spirits Competition will be judged by industry experts and the winners will be announced on October 4, 2018 on the company’s website.

For more information please visit http://www.honeyspiritscompetition.com or contact Keith Seiz at keith@brightlycreative.com or 773-213-2564.