Craftwell Cocktails Earns Best RTD at the International Women’s Spirits Competition

Top Shelf Spicy Mango Margarita earns Best of Class and 95 points as Pacific Northwest-crafted cocktails compete alongside spirit-based RTDs

Corvallis, Oregon, Jun 11, 2026 — Craftwell Cocktails® is celebrating a standout showing at the International Women’s Spirits Competition (IWSC), where Top Shelf Spicy Mango Margarita earned Best Ready to Drink / Best of Class and an exceptional 95-point score, while Top Shelf Chocolate Espresso Martini secured Gold and 92 points.

The recognition carries particular significance for the Pacific Northwest brand because Craftwell cocktails competed on the same stage as spirit-based RTDs, reinforcing that thoughtfully crafted cocktails can raise the bar on the sophistication, balance and premium experience in today’s growing RTD cocktail landscape.

Craftwell Cocktails are inspired by the Pacific Northwest’s culture of craftsmanship, creativity and quality ingredients, creating ready-to-drink and top shelf ready-to-serve cocktails designed to deliver bold flavor and bar-quality character.

The International Women’s Spirits Competition features judging panels composed entirely of professional women working across the wine and spirits industries, including buyers, sommeliers, distillers, marketers, educators and journalists. Now in its seventh year of spirits judging, the competition continues to spotlight excellence across an increasingly dynamic beverage landscape.

Judges praised Top Shelf Spicy Mango Margarita as “a vibrant and playful expression with a welcoming hint of spice, exotic lychee, and crisp green mango. Refreshing and perfectly composed.” 

Meanwhile, Top Shelf Chocolate Espresso Martini was recognized for delivering “the quintessential espresso martini experience,” where “bold coffee character meets silky crème brûlée sweetness in an effortlessly sophisticated cocktail.”

“This is a great moment for Craftwell,” said Nels Jewell-Larsen, vice president of business development for 2 Towns Ciderhouse. “To earn Best Ready to Drink while competing on the same stage as spirit-based RTDs speaks volumes about the quality, creativity and craftsmanship behind these cocktails. We’ve always believed great cocktails are defined by flavor and experience, and this recognition showcases our ability  to deliver on those in a big way.”

The award-winning cocktails were developed with contributions from Lucy Bauer, innovation manager at 2 Towns Ciderhouse, whose expertise in fermentation science and sensory-driven product development helps guide innovation across the company’s beverage portfolio.

“Great cocktails are built through curiosity, sensory refinement, and thoughtful iteration,” Bauer explains, “We spend countless hours balancing flavor, aroma, and texture so every cocktail feels intentional and memorable. Having both Spicy Mango Margarita and Chocolate Espresso Martini recognized on the same stage as spirit-based RTDs makes this honor especially exciting for our team.”

Cheers!

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ABOUT CRAFTWELL COCKTAILS®

Embodying the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, Craftwell ready-to-drink cocktails are crafted with the same care and expertise that made the 2 Towns Ciderhouse team leaders in using real fruit to create award-winning ciders. Craftwell encourages consumers to live life with flavor and to create their own cocktail moments with easily portable deliciousness. Real, fresh fruit produces real, fresh flavors that are available in canned cocktails, top shelf bottles, on draft and as nonalcoholic cocktails. For more information, please visit craftwellcocktails.com.

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