One year after its return to market, Sorel celebrates a spree of industry awards and explosive cross-country distribution, solidifying the trend prediction that 2022 is the year of hibiscus
Sorel, the hibiscus liqueur inspired by sorrel, the ancestral Afro-Caribbean beverage, is the most-awarded liqueur of 2022. Sorel returned to shelves in October 2021 with the support of Fawn Weaver and the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, which invests in BIPOC/minority-founded spirits businesses. The spirit swept every major beverage award this year with Gold honors or higher, and as Sorel approaches the first anniversary of its relaunch, founder Jackie Summers–acclaimed author, activist, entrepreneur, and self-taught distiller–reflects back on the last year to acknowledge the forces that brought this reincarnation to life.
“With Sorel’s second iteration, I’ve learned the importance of finding the right partners–whether financial backers, business consultants, or bartenders–and letting them do what they do best,” says Jackie Summers, Founder of Sorel. “The key to our success has been about putting values over valuations, which is an atypical approach, but it works every time. Our relationship with Uncle Nearest has been fruitful because it’s not just a transactional investor relationship–we share the vision of honoring heritage and history through spirits.”
Sorel earned a collection of coveted accolades during the 2022 spirits awards season, including top-ranking honors and distinctions from the industry’s most important spirits awards:
- ADI International Spirits Competition – Best of Class (Bottled & Blended Spirit – Liqueur), Best of Category (Bottled & Blended Spirit – Herbal/Botanical/Spice Liqueur), Double Gold (Spirit Excellence)
- American Craft Spirits Association – Innovation Award
- Chilled Magazine – Chilled 100 Spirits Awards – Breakout Brand, 97 Points
- Craft Distillers Spirits Competition – Best of Class; 93 Points
- Distiller Magazine – 5/5 Star Rating
- Distillery Awards – Diamond Certification
- Finger Lakes International Wine & Spirits Competition – Gold Medal
- Great American International Spirits Competition – Best in Show; Platinum Medal
- John Barleycorn Awards – Double Gold (Bottle Design), Gold (Packaging Design)
- Micro Liquor Spirit Award Competition – Triple Gold (Spirit), Triple Gold (Packaging Design), 97 Points
- New Orleans Spirits Competition – Best in Category, Gold Medal
- New York International Spirits Competition – Double Gold, 96 points
- San Francisco World Spirits Competition – Gold Medal
- Singapore World Spirits Competition – Gold Medal
- Sip Awards – Platinum Medal
- Ultimate Spirits Challenge – Chairman’s Trophy, 96 points, Top 100 Spirits, Extraordinary Ultra Recommendation
- Wine Enthusiast – Spirit Brand of the Year finalist (2021), 94 Points (2022)
- World Liqueur Awards – Best American Herbal Liqueur
- Craft Competition International Awards – Gold Medal
Sorel is currently sold in retail shops, hotels, bars, and restaurants across the country, with distribution in 20 states planned by the end of 2022, and nationwide availability in 2023.
In March 2022, Summers was honored among the inaugural class of Food & Wine magazine’s “Drinks Innovators of the Year,” and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the Bar World for the fourth year, ranking at #29. Earlier this year, Summers was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Media Award for his personal essay All the Food You Can Eat and Only The Family You Can Stand (Epicurious). Most recently, he was included among Wine Enthusiast‘s Future 40 class of people shaping the way we drink.
For media inquiries or interview requests, please email sorel@wearebmf.com.
About Jackie Summers
Jackie Summers is an acclaimed author, seasoned public speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Summers is the founder of JackFromBrooklyn Inc. and the creator of the award-winning Sorel Liqueur. Most recently, Summers was nominated for the 2022 James Beard Media Award for Personal Essay, Long Form, and was also honored among Food & Wine magazine’s inaugural class of Drinks Innovators of the Year. He has been included among the world’s 100 Most Influential Bar Industry Figures by Drinks International Magazine (2019, 2020, 2021), The 50 Most Influential People In Brooklyn Food (Brooklyn Magazine, 2015), named to the Imbibe 75 (2021), and named the 2019 Award winner for “Best Food Essay” by the Association of Food Journalists. Summers has contributed to publications including the James Beard Foundation, Plate, Wine Enthusiast, VinePair, Epicurious, Delish, and Edible Brooklyn. He currently serves as a co-chair of the Education Committee for the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, and as a member of the Education Committee for Bar Convent Brooklyn. Summers’ mission is to tell stories of marginalized peoples in their own voices.
About Sorel Liqueur
Sorel Liqueur is an alcoholic rendition of sorrel, the 500+ year-old traditional hibiscus-based beverage brought to the Caribbean from West Africa. After being diagnosed with a spinal tumor and given a small chance to live, Jackie Summers not only beat those odds, but left his decades-long corporate career to create Sorel as a way to honor his Barbadian heritage. Following 623 failed attempts, Summers perfected the first and only shelf-stable sorrel liqueur. After an impressive debut in 2013, Sorel ceased production for several years, and was brought back to market in October 2021 with the support of Fawn Weaver and the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund. Sorel will be available in 20 states by the end of 2022, and continues to expand its presence in bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout the United States, as well as impending availability at Disney properties. Visit SorelOfficial.com for more information and follow @SorelOfficial on Instagram and Facebook.
SOURCE Sorel Liqueur
