Every country has its special alcoholic beverages, and fruit brandy can be made anywhere, but - as determined by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Secretary of State responsible for the food industry and trade policy in Budapest  - pálinka can only be produced in Hungary, and solely from Hungarian fruit.

At the 2023 National Pálinka Excellence Program Award Gala, Márton Nobilis reminded us that the Ministry first announced its program of introducing Hungary's quality pálinkas to both domestic and foreign customers, back in 2014.

Following consumer trends, the program was expanded this year to include competitions for gin and spirits, alongside entries for pálinka and grape marc pálinka and also for distillates and liqueurs.

In 2019, the Ministry established the title of Pálinka of the Ministry of Agriculture which this year was again selected from among the top Pálinka Excellence entries in the business category.

In the 2023 National Pálinka Excellence Program, 21 producers submitted 117 entries comprising 96 types of pálinka, 9 gins, 6 liqueurs, and 6 other spirits. The professional committee was made up of qualified pálinka assessors who selected this year's winners.

Among the submitted entries, 48 pálinkas qualified for "Pálinka Excellence" while 16 received the "Top Pálinka Excellence" awards. Among gins, distillates and liqueurs, 11 entries achieved gold, and 6 received silver awards.

Starting from this year's 10th anniversary, the National Food Chain Safety Office will also choose a pálinka and a successful distillery to honour, alongside the one chosen by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Árpád Pálinkaház was given this year’s award as the most successful pálinka distillery, achieving 4 Top Pálinka Excellence and 4 Pálinka Excellence ratings.

The Lunczer Pálinkaház Prémium Kajszibarack Pálinkája became the first pálinka to win the award of the National Food Chain Safety Office. Among this year's top-rated pálinkas, the award for the Pálinka of the Ministry of Agriculture went to 1 Csepp Pálinkaház Sárgabarack Aurum pálinka.

Proofread by language editor Marion Merrick / Now You See It, Now You Don’t  / Surprising Expats / Budapest Retro