West Michigan International Review of Spirits Awards Top Honors to Grand Rapids Distillery

Internationally recognized Grand Rapids distillery, Long Road Distillers, is adding another top honor to their trophy case, this time for Long Road Cherry Brandy, a relatively new release. The spirit was awarded 93 Points and a Gold Medal at the 2016 International Review of Spirits this month, and named the "Top Rated Fruit Brandy."

The award-winning-80-proof spirit is made from 100-percent West Michigan grown tart cherries from Heffron Farms in Belding. Long Road Cherry Brandy offers a special taste of West Michigan, packing over 24 pounds of cherries into every 375 ml bottle available. The distillery has partnered with Heffron Farms on other fruit-inspired spirits in the past, including last year's special release of Raspberry Flavored Vodka.

"Brandy is something we're extremely excited to offer," said Brian Pribyl, Head Distiller at Long Road. "Not only can we source high quality local grains for our spirits, but we're located in one of the best fruit growing regions in the country. We see brandy as one of the next big things in the market, and we consider this award as confirmation that West Michigan fruit can serve as the base for world-class spirits!"

Pribyl recently spent a week in New York working with Hubert Germain-Robin, one of the world's best known brandy makers and the creator of the Germain-Robin line of spirits, to fine-tune his brandy making knowledge and to glean new ideas for future Long Road projects.

Spirits from around the world were entered into the International Review of Spirits event, hosted by the Beverage Testing Institute, a trusted name in wine and spirit reviews for industry members and consumers alike since 1981. The panel of judges awarded Long Road Cherry Brandy 93 Points, considering it "Exceptional", the highest score of any fruit brandy entered into the competition.

In their final review of the Long Road spirit, the judges noted the, "Fruity aromas and flavors of bright spiced dried cherries and cherry blossoms," and considered it, "A very pure cherry brandy with a solid core of fruit and pleasing warmth."

In addition to this award, Long Road Cherry Brandy recently won a Silver Medal at the New York International Spirits Competition and Long Road was named Michigan Brandy Distillery of the Year. Long Road Distillers has garnered a multitude of international honors for their line of spirits, including three "Best in Show" awards and numerous Double Gold and Gold Medals. The West Michigan Distillery continues to expand distribution and is now available in over 450 Michigan accounts.

For more information about Long Road Distillers please visit: www.longroaddistillers.com.

For more information about the International Review of Spirits and the Beverage Testing Institute, please visit: http://www.tastings.com/About/About-Tastings.aspx.

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