Diageo Announces Winners of 10th Annual Golden Bar Awards

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Sep 09, 2013, 11:55 ET

NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, honored spirits, wine and beer distributors at the Tenth Annual Golden Bar Awards which took place at a number of awards events and presentation ceremonies across the country. The Golden Bar Awards are presented for excellence in sales, marketing and promoting responsible drinking.

Larry Schwartz, President and CEO of Diageo North America said, "The Golden Bar Awards recognize Diageo's distributors for their dedication and hard work over the past year and honor the best in the industry. Diageo's strong relationships with our distributors and our joint commitment to the business help drive the success of our companies."

The Golden Bar Awards, held at multiple locations across the United States, celebrate distributors and brokers for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities. The gold awards recognize distributors and brokers for performance across Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, Crown Royal, Ketel One, Ciroc, Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieau Vineyard, Chalone Vineyard, Acacia Vineyard, Rosenblum Cellars, Guinness, Smithwick's, Red Stripe and PABs. Gold awards are also given for innovation, consistency and quality. The three platinum awards are given for advancing responsible drinking. The grand prizes go to the distributors of the year.

In total 32 statuettes, 29 made of 24 carat gold, and 3 made of platinum, were awarded to distributors. Each Golden Bar statuette weighs eight pounds, stands more than a foot tall, and is produced by R.S. Owens, the company that created the Oscar®, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Below are the categories and winners for the 2013 Golden Bar Awards.

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Distributor of the Year - Spirits		Coastal Wine and Spirits of Indiana
Distributor of the Year - Wine		Reliable Churchill of Maryland

TRANSFORMATIONAL PRIORITY AWARDS
Multicultural Excellence - Spirits		Coastal Wine and Spirits of Florida
On Premise Excellence - Spirits		Wirtz Beverage Illinois
Three Year Consistency - Spirits and Wine		Coastal Wine and Spirits of Indiana
Three Year Consistency - Beer		Paradise Beverages

SPIRITS AWARDS
Spirits Excellence - Smirnoff		United Liquors, A Division of Martignetti Companies of Massachusetts
Spirits Excellence - Johnnie Walker		Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a Division of Empire Merchants, LLC, Metro New York
Spirits Excellence - Baileys		Standard Beverage of Kansas
Spirits Excellence - Captain Morgan		Horizon Wine and Spirits of Tennessee
Spirits Excellence - Tanqueray		North American Spirits and Wine Brokers of New Hampshire
Spirits Excellence - Crown Royal		Johnson Brothers of Minnesota
Spirits Excellence - Ketel One		Glazer's of Texas
Spirits Excellence - Ciroc		Pacific Wine and Spirits of California
Control State Excellence Award		North American Spirits and Wine Brokers of Ohio

WINE AWARDS
Wines Excellence - Sterling Vineyards		Glazer's of Oklahoma
Wines Excellence - Beaulieu Vineyard		Ben Arnold Beverage Company of South Carolina
Wines Excellence - Chalone Vineyard		Tryon Distributing Company
Wines Excellence - Acacia Vineyard		Atlantic Wine & Spirits, a Division of Empire Merchants, LLC, Metro New York
Wines Excellence - Rosenblum Cellars		Pacific Wine and Spirits of California
Control State Excellence Award		North American Spirits and Wine Brokers of Mississippi

BEER AWARDS
Beer Excellence - Guinness		Florida Distributing Company
Beer Excellence - Smithwick's		DET Distributing
Beer Excellence - Red Stripe		Alliance Beverage
Beer Excellence - PABs		Phoenix Beverage
Quality Cup		C&C Distributing

INNOVATION
Innovation Launch - Spirits		Beverage Distributors Company of Colorado
Innovation Launch - Wine		Wirtz Beverage Illinois
Innovation Launch - Beer & PABs		United Distributing

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Advancing Responsible Drinking - Wine & Spirits		Reliable Churchill of Maryland
Advancing Responsible Drinking in Control States - Wine and Spirits		North American Spirits and Wine Brokerage of Michigan
Advancing Responsible Drinking - Beer		Keg 1 Central Texas

About Diageo

Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people and its brands, visit www.diageo.com. For Diageo's global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit www.DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo