#masterson's

To the Tumblr north of the boarder I offer a toast.

Here’s to Canada, land of the free;

Daily life starts with coffee or tea

In winter we freeze; in summer we cook;

In April, the tax man throws us the book.

September is gorgeous, bug season has passed;

Lake water’s still warm and the sail’s up the mast.

For tennis and golf our weather’s divine;

On political guff, our friends still opine.

Here’s to Canada where discussion’s our style;

Guns and violence are not worth our while.

We argue, we listen, our points do come clear;

And mostly its done with mighty good cheer.

Here’s to Canada, our land that we praise;

May peace be among us for the rest of our days.

Our nation’s dynmaic, our people real smart;

Raise a glass to Canada, a land that has heart.

2013 Winners Include First 100 Point Spirit - Highland Park 25 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Scotland, 45.7% ABV

Judging is done as Blind Tastings, where judges do not know what has been poured for them. 

Panels of highly qualified experts blind taste/evaluate flights of distilled spirits by classifications within major spirits categories, employing a custom-created, multistage format. Judges record their findings on a worksheet on which they score each product on the 100-point scale.

Multiple 3-person panels of judges are formed. The products from each category that score 90 or more undergo another level of evaluation by UBC panels of  experts to arrive at the best products from each greater category.  Final scores are derived from the cumulative total in order to allow each product multiple chances to shine. Each category will have a coveted “Chairman’s Trophy” winner selected from the Finalists.

New York, NY (March 21, 2013) – Ultimate Beverage Challenge’s (UBC) fourth annual Ultimate Spirits Challenge was held at state-of-the-art Astor Center in New York City on March 11-15, 2013. Today, Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC) proudly announces this year’s Chairman’s Trophy winners and Finalists in more than 30 spirits categories, including USC’s first 100-point score that honors Highland Park 25 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Orkney.

Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2013 had a record number of entries, up 8% from last year, from more than 70 companies and 30 countries around the world. This year’s entries likewise included more craft spirits than ever before and an extraordinarily high standard of spirits across all categories.

Led by UBC Founder and Judging Chairman F. Paul Pacult and Judging Co-Chairman Sean Ludford, the judges included many of the world’s most famous distilled spirits authorities, award-winning authors, spirits buyers, journalists, educators, bar owners and consultants.  The judging panels rated the distillates on the 100-point scale, using USC’s innovative multilevel evaluation system, which renders the industry’s most unassailable results. This remarkable super-group of experts named 33 Ultimate Spirits Challenge Chairman’s Trophy winners and 151 Finalists. 

Top Three of Each Whisk(e)y Category (Scores shown, first): 

American Whiskey

96 Balcones 1 Texas Single Malt American Whiskey, 53% ABV

92 Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat, 45% ABV

88 Catskill Distilling One & Only Buckwheat, 42.5% ABV

Bourbon

97 Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 46.5% ABV

95 Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 50% ABV

95 Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Bourbon, 45% ABV

Rye

94 Knob Creek Rye Whiskey, United States, 50% ABV

92 Masterson’s French Oak Finished 10 years Old Rye Whiskey, Canada, 45% ABV

91 Bulleit Rye Whiskey, united States, 45% ABV

Tennessee Whiskey

95 George Dickel No. 12, 45% ABV

93 George Dickel Barrel Select, 43%

Read more here: http://bit.ly/YB06Ln

# **The Making Of: @Mastersons Selvedge Denim Shirts**

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