NORWALK, Conn., April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo brands won top awards at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge held earlier this month in New York City. The Ultimate Spirits Challenge identifies, recognizes and rewards products that show superior quality, and products are scored on a 100 point scale. In total, Diageo brands claimed 44 accolades, 30 of which scored 90 or more points.

Flights of distilled spirits from some of the world's most noteworthy brands were blind tasted and evaluated by an extraordinary panel of highly qualified experts led by F. Paul Pacult.  Bushmill's 16, Caol Ila 12 and Buchanan's Special Reserve scored 97, 97 and 95 points respectively and were designated as Ultimate Recommendations. Johnnie Walker Green Label, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Extra Anejo and George Dickel Barrel Select were also awarded Chairman's Trophies representing the best of the best in their respective categories.

Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo North America, said, "Diageo is thrilled by the recognition our brands received at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. We continually strive towards excellence, and it's an honor to be acknowledged for our commitment to producing quality spirits for our consumers to enjoy responsibly."

A full list of Diageo's winning brands at the 2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge follows.

• Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur
• Buchanan's Deluxe 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky
• Buchanan's Master Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Buchanan's Red Seal Blended Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Buchanan's Special Reserve 18 Year Old (Chairman's Trophy)
• Bulleit Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Finalist)
• Bulleit Rye Whiskey (Finalist)
• Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Finalist)
• Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Chairman's Trophy)
• Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Finalist)
• Bushmills Black Bush Blended Irish Whiskey (Finalist)
• Bushmills Blended Irish Whiskey (Finalist)
• Bushmills Irish Honey Whisky Liqueur (Finalist)
• Caol Ila 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Chairman's Trophy)
• Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
• Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Clynelish 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Crown Royal Black Canadian Blended Whisky
• Crown Royal Canadian Blended Whisky
• Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Don Julio 1942 Anejo (Finalist)
• Don Julio 70 Claro Anejo
• Don Julio Reposado
• George Dickel #12 Tennessee Whiskey
• George Dickel #8 Tennessee Whiskey
• George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey (Chairman's Trophy)
• Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Johnnie Walker Gold Label Blended Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Johnnie Walker Green Label Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (Chairman's Trophy)
• Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky
• Jose Cuervo Platino Blanco
• Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Extra Anejo (Chairman's Trophy)
• Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado
• Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver Blanco (Finalist)
• Ketel One Citroen Flavored Vodka (Finalist)
• Ketel One Oranje Flavored Vodka
• Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Oban 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Talisker 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Finalist)
• Tanqueray London Dry Gin (Finalist)
• Tanqueray Rangpur
• Tanqueray TEN London Dry Gin (Finalist)

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, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold 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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SOURCE Diageo