Eugene, OR: Established in 2000, The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is among the most respected international spirits competitions, and is the largest event of its kind in the U.S. Under the auspices of founder Anthony Dias Blue, judging director Tony Abou-Ganim gathered more than 40 high-profile judges including Dale DeGroff, Julie Reiner, and Ivy Mix. Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka won a Gold Medal: a major coup for self-taught distiller Ben Green, in only his third year as a maker.
The 2020 Competition drew 2,325 entries from all corners of the world. Of the 189 vodka entries, 30 won Gold Medals. Umberto Luchini, the proprietor and founder of Wolf Spirit Distillery as well as creator and owner of Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka says: “We are grateful to be ranked alongside great vodka brands including Belvedere and Crystal Head, especially as we are priced 25-65% lower. It took us about a year -- and 3,000 liters of false starts -- to get to a vodka we all loved; our hats are off to our chief maker, Ben Green.”
Hand-crafted from grain to glass using soft white winter wheat from Hamilton Ranch on Rattlesnake Ridge in Washington State and purified water from Oregon's Cascade Mountains, Blood x Sweat x Tears vodka also medaled at the San Diego Spirits Festival. The spirit is usually described as edgy, and third-party reviewers generally describe it as earthy, mineral, and and herbal – particularly calling out notes of juniper – with a clear wheat influence, warm and spicy finish, and overall complexity.
Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka is currently available in 25 US markets, and partners with Best Friends Animal Society, which is creating no-kill animal shelters at an unprecedented rate. Please follow Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka on Facebook and Instagram.
About Wolf Spirit Distillery: In his late 40s and with his own savings at stake, Umberto Luchini walked away from his CMO position at Campari America to launch Wolf Spirit Distillery, with the mission to live courageously with great purpose; to be honest; and hell-bent on upending the system. Every day, Umberto aims to inspire richer life experiences and satisfy a literal and figurative thirst for what’s real. The distillery’s flagship brand is Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka, and the company also imports Tom of Finland Organic Vodka, which gives a full 5% of all profits to Tom of Finland Foundation which promotes tolerance toward all sexual orientations.
