History
The American Distilling Institute was the United States' first association for the craft distillery industry since prohibition. It was founded in 2003 when there were only ~60 distilleries as state regulations in the United States eased and began to allow small distilleries to operate again. Prior to prohibition there were over 2000 local distilleries. However, after prohibition was lifted, careful management of government regulation ( the three tier system) by the largest distilleries and wholesalers to minimize competition blocked most distilleries from reopening.Membership
ADI's membership comprises mainly small and mid-sized distilleries.Annual conference
The first conference was held in 2004 at St. George Distillery in Alameda, CA.Craft spirits judging
The American Distilling Institute has held its annual Judging of Craft Spirits since 2007 and is the oldest and largest craft spirits competition. Distillers from all over the world submit entries which are blind tasted and evaluated by experts in the Spirits industry. All entries are scored and feedback is provided on all entries. ADI Judging results are announced at the annual Awards Gala.Craft spirits awards
Distillers compete for medals at the ADI Judging, and the recipients of medals are announced at the annual Gala. The Gala concludes with the announcement of the Distillery of the Year Award called "Bubble Cap" award (a reference to a distilling device called a bubble cap). Awards: Best of Category Best of Class Excellence in Packaging Awards: awarded to a gold medal bottle Bronze, Silver, Gold and Double Gold Medals Bubble Cap Awards: Awarded to Distillery of the Year2020 Bubble Cap Award
* Distillery of the Year – Spirit Works Distillery2019 Bubble Cap Award
* Distillery of the Year – Golden Moon Distillery2018 Bubble Cap Awards
* Distillery of the Year – Copperworks Distilling, Founders Micah Nutt and Jason Parker. * Lifetime Achievement Award – HubertAnnual craft distillery directory
Every year the Distiller's Resource Directory is published and distributed at the annual conference. The directory contains two primary sections. The first section is a listing of every active craft distillery. The second section is good and services needed to own and operate a craft distillery.''Distiller Magazine''
A trade magazine focusing on news, research, and education in the craft distilling industry.References
{{authority control 2003 establishments in the United States Distilleries in the United States Trade associations based in the United States Organizations established in 2003