NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diageo honored the country's leading spirits, wine and beer distributors today with the announcement of the Sixth Annual Golden Bar Award winners at http://www.diageogoldenbars.com/.
"We are proud to honor the best of the best across beer, wine and spirits, and our desire to pay tribute to them remains stronger than ever. Congratulations to all of our 2009 nominees and winners for their remarkable achievements," said Ivan Menezes, President and CEO, Diageo North America.
Diageo hosts the Golden Bar Awards every year, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, to celebrate distributors and brokers from across the United States for their excellence in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities. This year, given the economic climate, Diageo elected to alter the format from a gala event, and is instead honoring nominees and winners online at http://www.diageogoldenbars.com/.
Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo USA, said, "The year's challenges in the economy and the industry have made us more keenly aware and appreciative of the outstanding work of our distributors than ever. No matter the format in which we recognize the excellence of our distributors, and no matter the location, one thing has not changed: the Golden Bar Award winners are the best in the industry at what they do and deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated."
The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers from across Diageo's brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieu Vineyard. Awards are also given for outstanding Innovation Launches, Control States excellence, and Distributor of the Year. This year Diageo has introduced a new award -- the Platinum Bar -- that recognizes the best distributor in promoting responsible drinking.
In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold will be delivered to the winners. 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 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
A complete list of nominees and winners can be viewed at http://www.diageogoldenbars.com/. Below are the categories and winners for the 2009 Golden Bar Awards:
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR -- Distributor of the Year - Spirits Reliable Churchill of Maryland -- Distributor of the Year - Wine Washington Wholesale - District of Columbia -- Distributor of the Year - Beer Wright Wisner Companies SPIRITS EXCELLENCE AWARDS -- Spirits Excellence Award - Smirnoff Reliable Churchill of Maryland -- Spirits Excellence Award - Baileys United Distributors of Delaware -- Spirits Excellence Award - Coastal Wine & Spirits of Johnnie Walker Florida -- Spirits Excellence Award - Jose Cuervo Capitol - Husting Company of Wisconsin -- Spirits Excellence Award - Diageo Moet Hennessy, Captain Morgan Pennsylvania Sales Team -- Spirits Excellence Award - Crown Royal Glazer's of Iowa -- Spirits Excellence Award - Tanqueray Southern Wine & Spirits of New England, New Hampshire -- Spirits Excellence Award - Washington Wholesale - Reserve Brands District of Columbia -- Control State Excellence Award - Southern Wine & Spirits of Spirits Virginia -- Venture Market Award - Spirits Johnson Bros, ND, Northwest Division -- President's Award - Share Growth Glazer's of Ohio WINE EXCELLENCE AWARDS -- Wine Excellence Award - Capitol - Husting Company of Beaulieu Vineyard Wisconsin -- Wine Excellence Award - Coastal Wine & Spirits of Sterling Vineyards Florida -- Wine Excellence Award - Reliable Churchill of Maryland Chalone Vineyards -- Wine Excellence Award - Edna Valley Coastal Wine and Spirits of Florida Vineyards -- Wine Excellence Award - Glazer's of Ohio Acacia Vineyards -- Wine Excellence Award - Washington Wholesale - Rosenblum Cellars District of Columbia BEER EXCELLENCE AWARDS -- Beer Excellence Award - Guinness Peerless Beverage -- Beer Excellence Award - Smithwick's Alliance Beverage - Phoenix -- Beer Excellence Award - Red Stripe Summit Distributing - Colorado -- Beer Excellence Award - Houston Distributing Company Progressive Adult Beverages -- Venture Market Award - Beer John G. Ryan, Inc. GOLDEN BAR CONSISTENCY AWARDS -- Golden Bar Consistency Award - Spirits Empire Merchants North, New York -- Golden Bar Consistency Award - Beer J&L Ventures INNOVATION LAUNCH AWARDS -- Innovation Launch Awards - Spirits United Liquors LLC, A Division of Martignetti Cos. - Massachusetts -- Innovation Launch Award - Wine Capitol - Husting Company of Wisconsin NATIONAL ACCOUNTS EXECUTION EXCELLENCE AWARD -- National Accounts Execution Pacific Wine & Spirits of Excellence Award California ADVANCING RESPONSIBLE DRINKING AWARDS -- Advancing Responsible Drinking - Beer Kramer Beverage -- Advancing Responsible Drinking - The Charmer Sunbelt Group - Spirits & Wine USA 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, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading 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, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
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CONTACT: Zsoka McDonald, Diageo, +1-203-229-4730; or Rachel Rosenblatt,
FD, +1-212-850-5697
Web Site: http://www.diageo.com/
