National Palinkas of Excellence Program – 2023

About the competition ’23

The history, present, and future of pálinka distillation and production in Hungary are as adventurous as the journey of the fruit, from planting the fruit tree to harvesting its ripe produce, through processing and distillation to bottling and reaching the consumer. All participants in the program believe that in addition to its venerable past, the present of pálinka is even more important, so that we can establish and secure the future of one of our most well-known Hungaricums, its rightful place in national gastronomy! We still have a lot of work to do on this path, one of the important milestones of which is the National Pálinka Excellence Program (hereinafter referred to as the Program).

A Unique Competition for the Best

This competition is a unique competition for the best, but not a comparison of commercial pálinkas in the traditional sense.

In 2019, we rephrased the return to the roots and original goals of 2014, which had to be reinforced with minor and major changes in 2022.

The most significant of these is that following the international trend and larger domestic competitions, the Program also introduced the 100-point evaluation system, and in 2022, for the first time, the judging was carried out electronically using computer software.

Shaping the Future of Pálinka

From the point of view of the future of pálinka, it is essential that our most famous national drink not only has a past and history, but that we also give the present, the everyday part of life, an active role that shapes the future. The world of Hungarian pálinka is a diverse, varied, and exciting maze, in which it is not easy to find one's way. The National Pálinka Excellence Program tries to provide help year after year to protect, appreciate, and enrich our values in this "maze", and to regularly evaluate the achieved results and highlight the work of the best.

Award-Winning Pálinkas: A Glimpse into a Bright Future

The award-winning entries here give a positive future image for Hungarian pálinka. If we taste these "liquid treasures", we can be sure that despite all the worries and difficulties, there will also be innovative pálinkas in the future that will reach the taste buds of a wider consumer base and delight the public who love and know pálinka, a team of professionals who are true "pálinka artists".

The Best of the Best: Pálinka Excellence and Top Pálinka Excellence Awards

Of the 103 entries submitted to the National Pálinka Excellence Program, 103 entries were subjected to sensory evaluation.

In accordance with the Program's regulations, a total of 67 entries from 16 pálinka distilleries were awarded the qualification and will be among the best in 2022, of which 49 pálinkas received the Pálinka Excellence and 18 pálinkas received the Top Pálinka Excellence qualification.

The title of "Ministry of Agriculture Pálinka" was selected from among those entries that received the TOP Pálinka Excellence qualification, the TOP pálinka excellence of the categories that were mandatory to enter, and were entered in the business category. The title was won in 2022 by the product of Lunczer Pálinkaház, the Fürtös Meggy pálinka.