San Diego, CA – December 6, 2010 – Preiss Imports, The Nation’s leading importer of specialty spirits was awarded ‘Importer of the Year’ as part of the New York International Spirits Competition held last month in New York City. Of the 187 submissions from 28 countries in 47 categories, Preiss Imports also brought home nine medals (3 Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze) in the various whisky categories.

The New York International Spirits Competition, founded by Adam Levy, spirits writer and judge, is the first major international spirits competition with trade-only judges from top to bottom that consists of people who are buyers from the top retail stores, restaurant and bar owners, distributors and importers. Levy also explained that what sets this competition apart from others is that the judges evaluate spirits within their categories at pricing parity. In addition to considering similarly priced bottles, each spirit is sampled for appearance, aroma, taste, mouth feel, and finish. Gold medals are affixed to brands that the judging panel believe are worth promoting to their customers; Silver medals designate spirits that the judges really like; and Bronze medals indicate it is something a judge would consider carrying.

For a complete list of spirits categories and medal winners, visit http://nyispiritscompetition.com/.