The Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) is a marketing service company that provides reviews for
spirits
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
,
wines
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
, and
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
s. It uses numerical scores and publishes books of its test results.
The company's beer marketing program, the World Beer Championships, was founded in 1994.
Reviews
The company rates spirits, wines and beers. It does not accept advertising from any company that submits their products for review. The judging ratings range from 96 to 100 for superlative to 80 and below for not recommended. Jerald O’Kennard, Director of the Beverage Testing Institute, said that 94 is an extremely good score, and unusually high. They use a tasting lab in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. Testing methods minimize external factors and maximize the concentration of the panelist. Taste tests are practically the same time every weekday morning. All of the panelists are professional guest tasters who are retailers, restaurateurs, or prominent writers.
Books
The company published the book ''Beverage Testing Institute's Buying Guide to Beer''. The book is a guide to beers throughout the world. The breweries and brands are arranged in alphabetical order according to geographic location. There are also notes on the appearance, aroma, and taste for every beer that is rated and there is information on
beer styles
Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin.
The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book ...
. The company also published the book ''Buying Guide to Imported Wines''. The book has evaluations of styles, vintages, and producers cover 2,500 wines from 22 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Russia. The best-scoring wines are categorized by name, region, description, and price.
Scores and their meaning
The scores are translated onto a modified 100-point scale. The five "bands" below more accurately reflect the quality of products in today's market. It roughly corresponds to a five-star system:
*96–100—Superlative
*90–95—Exceptional
*85–89—Highly Recommended
*80–84—Recommended
*less than 80—Not Recommended
*Best Buy. Wines or spirits that provide uncommon value.
*Cellar Selection. This is a wine that they believe will improve significantly with at least three to five years of age.
See also
*
Spirits ratings
With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...
*
Blind tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...
*
Court of Master Sommeliers
References
{{reflist
External links
Beverage Testing Institute
Drinking culture