Quintessence – 2025 Palinka and Distillate Competition XV – Competition Rules

The changes by the organizers of the Quintessence Pálinka and Distillate Competition have been being inspired by the specific situation of the war in the neighbouring country, the high inflation and the high prices. The substance of it is around the meaning of the word QUINTESSENCE: „hard distillate, essence, quintessence, the essence of something”. This recognition made the organizers – who recognized the need of this change – restructure and renew the rules of the judging system.  The positive parts and experiences have been remained by the organizers, but some parts of the system from the judging to the position of the competition have been renewed.

The main parts of this:

• The entering fees and the participation fees at the gala remain the same.
• The so called pre- judging system remains for those, who are new private and wage distillers, or for those, who  did not get any medals in the last two years. Our aim is to be the best and the biggest in the Quintessence. We would like to take the time for the evaluation of  these people’s products. They are going to get a more detailed, deeper, more objective feedback about their samples and those who are not at the level of Quintessence can start the way of development with the identification of their mistakes.
• Those judges who have a share in commercial distilleries, or those who have a share in private or wage distillers cannot  be the member of the jury at choosing a champion or a cathegory winner pálinka. We can rise the value of the winner and champion distillates.

We can rise the value of the champion prize. Only the most excellent ones can get the exceptional appreciation, the bigger value a big golden award will be.

• The organizers get back to ’one’ annoucement of results, where the pálinka houses, the private and wage distilleries can meet at the same time, and can talk about the presence and future of pálinka. They can taste the commercially available winner pálinkas as well there.
• We appreciate the work of the distillate master beside the wage distillers.
• The results of the great champions have been modified to make the competition more open.
• NEW RULES: the competition wants to focus on the pálinkas beside distillates.It means that the „life style distillates” are going to be valued in a more appropritae way, as the competition at the jury trainings emphasised more these judgings.
• The results of the so called big rewards are counted by the first  six main cathegories results with four and not three compulsory entering cathegories. The judging points of the samples are modified.
• The „competition of champions” – discounts
• Quintessence ranking
• Team competition
• The points over 95get a bigger role at the champion rewards
• „judging again”
• GOLDEN QUINTESSENCE badge
• the second and third competitor of the complex competition will be rewarded and the results will be announced.
• In case of competitors from abroad the results of the 7-9 main cathegories do not count into the complex results.
• to choose a president of the jury.
• you have a possibility to choose if you want the diplomes and medals for all your results or want them to be on one complex reward.

The competition organized by:

• The Cultural Association of Onga (2/A Görgey street Onga 3562)

The aims of the competition:

• To make the cultural consumption of palinka popular,
• To make the pálinka more popular as a Hungaricum in and beyond the borders,
• To have the entered palinkas/distillates competed,
• To improve the palinkas’ quality through the own results of distilleries,
• To make the marketing of commercially available products popular,
• The positive influence of consumers’ attitude in connection with palinka,
• The appreciation of the work of private or wage distillers and commercial distilleries who create good quality palinkas

The circles of the announced competition:

• Commercial distilleries, wage distillers or private distillates, can enter from any part of the country or even from beyond the borders.

Entering deadline:

Friday  17 January 2025 till 5:00 p.m.

Samples can be entered:

The number of samples is optional, but for the advertised so called big prizes (best commercial distillery, best wage distillery, best private distillery, best woman private distiller), only the ten highest pointed samples can be taken into consideration according to the followings:

– 8 from the ten samples which get the highest points have to be entered in the first 6 main cathegories.

– The entering of any number of samples are accepted per subcategories, but from those only the best per subcategories, the result of maximum 1-1 product counts for the big prizes. Among the nine main cathegories in maximum 3 subcathegories will be taken into consideration.

– From the 10 samples – who wants to win as the winner of the competition, who wants to be the best wage distiller, the best private distiller or the best woman distiller – from the following subcathegories you have to enter at least five different samples: apple, William’s pear, apricot, plum, fragranted grapes or sour cherry.

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