IWSC Group (www.iwscgroup.com), which includes the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition, and the UK-based What Food What Wine? Competition, announced today that it had acquired the business and assets of The Polished Palate (www.polishedpalate.com).

Founded by Dori Bryant in 2005, The Polished Palate organises the market-leading Spirits of Mexico tequila tasting festivals. Its flagship event is Spirits of Mexico San Diego, the oldest, largest and most comprehensive festival for agave and other Mexican spirits in North America. It is held every year in mid-September, around Mexican Independence Day, in Historic Old Town San Diego, and attracts over 80 tequila brands and over 2,500 consumers.

The Polished Palate also organise other tequila and rum events in different cities throughout the year.

“Spirits of Mexico is a celebration of the distiller’s art”, says Allen Gibbons, Managing Director IWSC Group. “Through its focus on the quality of the product and its committment to encouraging responsible consumption, it very much fits with the IWSC Group’s mission to recognise and promote world class spirits. I look forward to expanding the concept of Spirits of Mexico to other cities across the United States and beyond”.

“I am very excited to be joining the IWSC Group”, commented Polished Palate President Dori Bryant. “They bring with them vast knowledge of the international spirits industry, and their support means that the Spirits of Mexico and other events that we organise can only get bigger and better”.