Miami-Based Craft Brand Beats Out 6 Category Winners at Access LIVE Finals
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) is thrilled to announce Quintaliza Tequila as the champion of WSWA’s 2024 Brand Battle competition, a contest in which craft and emerging brands compete head to head for recognition and market opportunities. Quintaliza Tequila beat out six other category winners to garner the win.
Founded in July 2023 by Michael Winters, the brand’s flagship product is a five-month tequila reposada aged two months in American whiskey barrels and then three months in coffee barrels. According to the founder, the product features subtle notes of dark chocolate, the sweetness of agave and hints of coffee on the back end. It’s organic and 100% additive free, adding to its appeal for health-conscious consumers.
The 2024 edition of Brand Battle began in early January with multiple competitors vying for wins in the categories of vodka and gin, tequila and mezcal, wine, whiskey and scotch, RTD/hard seltzers, innovation and miscellaneous. In the first round, brand representatives gave virtual pitches to panels of judges, who also sampled the products.
The championship round was held Tuesday, January 30, on the Main Stage at Access LIVE, WSWA’s industry event bringing together over 2,500 attendees from all three tiers of the wine and spirits industry. Category winners presented their brands from the Access LIVE Main Stage. The winner was chosen by a panel of judges as well as conference attendees, who used a special QR code to cast their votes from the Brand Battle audience.
“I feel completely honored to be here — it was absolutely amazing,” said Winters after his win. “What a fun process! Any emerging brand out there needs to experience this. The amount of people you get to meet within the community of your spirit is worth more than you can imagine.”
In addition to Winters’ pitch, the judges were notably impressed by Quintaliza’s taste and packaging. “I think it’s amazing that we’re able to help catapult a startup brand and help them get the distribution and the recognition that they deserve,” said Bill Rancic, entrepreneur and one of the Brand Battle judges. “It showcases the American dream. As we’ve seen from previous winners, it’s a brand-altering experience that can really make a brand in the market.”
Besides bragging rights, the winner received a trophy and a pro wrestling-style belt, which was presented to Winters by Matt Hemmings of Sunshine Punch and Hatton Smith II of Campesino Rum — both previous winners of the Brand Battle competition.
To learn more about Brand Battle as well as watch past competitions, visit wswa.org. WSWA congratulates all of the category winners for their success in the preliminary round contests:
Tequila and Mezcal: Quintaliza Tequila (Champion)
Wine: JULIET Wine
Vodka and Gin: Delta Dirt Distillery
Whiskey and Scotch: Sláinte Irish Whiskey
RTD/Hard Seltzers: NightOwl Espresso Martini
Miscellaneous: SUYO Pisco
Innovation: Roots Divino
About WSWA’s Access LIVE
WSWA’s Access LIVE, formally known as the WSWA Annual Convention & Exposition, is the largest U.S. event uniting all tiers of the beverage alcohol industry. Featuring buy-sell engagements, high-level information panels, wine and spirits competitions, and C-suite-level networking, this event has been a premier destination for beverage alcohol wholesalers, suppliers and now retailers since its inception in 1943. Distributor attendees represent more than 80% of all wine and spirits sold at wholesale in the United States, and exhibitors are comprised of some of the most exciting, established and up-and-coming brands in the marketplace. No other event in the industry rallies so much expertise and networking and so many solutions and opportunities under one roof.
To learn more, please visit accesslive.wswa.org or connect with us across our social platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube or follow us at #AccessLIVE.
MEDIA CONTACTMichael Bilello
Executive Vice President, Strategic Communications & Marketing
[email protected] | (202) 716-4805
SOURCE Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
