Diageo Honors America's Leading Spirits, Wine and Beer Distributors at 4th Annual Golden Bar Awards in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Distributors of spirits, beer and wine from across the country celebrated the Fourth Annual Golden Bar Awards, the beverage alcohol industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas last night.

In celebrating the company's 10th anniversary, Diageo, the world's leading spirits, beer and wine company, presented the Golden Bar Awards to honor distributors and brokers from across the United States for their outstanding work in the marketplace and the important role they play in their communities.

Ivan Menezes, President and CEO of Diageo North America commended Diageo's distributors for their hard work and contributions to a very successful year in the industry. "We want to recognize the passion everyone here shares for this business. I am extremely proud to be a part of it," Menezes said. "Together we build great brands in the marketplace and without our exceptional distributors and brokers we would not be able to achieve all that we have in this competitive and challenging environment."

The Golden Bar Awards recognize distributors and brokers for performance across Diageo spirits, beer and wine brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Guinness and Beaulieau Vineyard. Awards are also given for Innovation Launches, Control states and Distributor of the Year.

Also featured in the program were Corporate Citizenship Excellence Awards extended to The Charmer Sunbelt Group in the wine and spirits category, and to three winners in the beer category: DBI Beverage, M.E. Fox & Company and Mesa Beverage, all of California. Harvey Chaplin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Wine and Spirits of America, received the Corporate Citizen award in recognition of his significant contributions to the industry.

In total, 32 statuettes made of 24 carat gold were awarded to distributors. 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(R), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Below are the categories and winners for the 2007 Golden Bar Awards.


    DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR

    Distributor of the Year - Spirits   Johnson Brothers/ United Brokerage
                                         of Minnesota

    Distributor of the Year - Wine      Pacific Wine and Spirits of
                                         California

    Distributor of the Year - Beer      Banko Beverage Company of
                                         Pennsylvania

    SPIRITS

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Smirnoff                           Alliance Beverage Distributing
                                         Company of Arizona

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Jose Cuervo                        Alabama Sales Co.

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Captain Morgan                     National Wine & Spirits of Indiana

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Crown Royal                        Southern Wine/Spirits West

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Baileys                            Allied Beverage Group of New Jersey

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Johnnie Walker                     Judge & Dolph of Illinois

    Spirits Excellence Award -
     Tanqueray                          Glazer's of Louisiana

    Control State Excellence Award -
     Spirits                            Glazers' of Iowa

    WINE

    Wines Excellence Award -
     Beaulieu Vineyard                  Deluca/Silver State of Nevada

    Wines Excellence Award -
     Sterling Vineyards                 Judge & Dolph of Illinois

    Wines Excellence Award -
     Chalone                            Empire Merchants of Metro New York

    Wines Excellence Award -
     Edna Valley Vineyard               Judge & Dolph of Illinois

    Wines Excellence Award -
     Acacia Vineyard                    Pacific Wine and Spirits of
                                         California

    BEER

    Beer Excellence Award -
     Guinness                           Standard Distributing of Delaware

    Beer Excellence Award -
     Harp/Smithwick's                   Monarch Beverage Company of Indiana

    Beer Excellence Award -
     Red Stripe                         Better Brands of Hawaii

    Beer Excellence Award -
     PABs                               Cherokee Distributing of Tennessee

    GOLDEN BAR CONSISTENCY

    Golden Bar Consistency Award -
     Spirits                            National Wine & Spirits of Indiana

    Golden Bar Consistency Award -
     Wine                               Alaska Distributors of Washington

    Golden Bar Consistency Award -
     Beer                               Capitol Distributing of New
                                         Hampshire

    INNOVATION

    Innovation Launch Award - Spirits   Coastal Wine & Spirits of Florida

    Innovation Launch Award - Wine      Ben Arnold Beverage Co. of
                                         South Carolina

    Innovation Launch Award - Beer      F.P. Winner of Maryland

    CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP AWARD
    Corporate Citizenship Excellence
     Award - Wine/Spirits               The Charmer Sunbelt Group

    Corporate Citizenship Excellence
     Award - Beer                       DBI Beverage of California
                                        M.E. Fox & Company of California
                                        Mesa Beverage of California

    CORPORATE CITIZEN AWARD

    Corporate Citizen Award             Harvey Chaplin, Chairman and CEO
                                        of Southern Wine and Spirits
                                        of America