Spirits Selection by CMB 2026 : A growing diversity of spirits and styles
More than 2,300 spirits from over 70 countries and territories will be judged in Madeira this October for the 28th edition of Spirits Selection by CMB.
Mexico is the leading origin, followed by France and China, with Brazil, Italy and Serbia also among the most strongly represented countries.
The spread of entries is particularly broad. Products will arrive from across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian Ocean, with more than 70 countries and territories represented.
Several origins also appear for the first time in the competition’s historical records, including Albania, Angola, Cambodia, Slovenia, Turkey and Zambia.
The 2026 edition has a different profile from the two previous competitions. Renhuai, China, hosted Spirits Selection by CMB in 2024, followed by Jalisco, Mexico, in 2025. Both were held in major spirits-producing markets and attracted very strong domestic participation. In Madeira, entries are spread much more widely across the international field.
The judging panel reflects the same international reach. More than 100 judges representing close to 40 nationalities will assess the entries in Madeira. The panel includes, importers, educators, journalists, consultants and other professionals from the spirits sector.
Strong participation from the Portuguese-speaking world
Brazil, Portugal and Angola account for more than 230 entries between them, close to 10% of the competition. Brazil is one of the leading participating countries, Portugal ranks among the ten largest origins, and Angola appears for the first time in the historical records available to the competition.
There is also a link with Goa through Feni, one of India’s distinctive regional spirits. Cashew Feni from Goa is again represented in the competition, adding another connection between this year’s entries and regions with a long Portuguese historical influence.
Africa and the Indian Ocean are also more visible this year, with entries from Angola, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion and Zambia. Zambia, like Angola, appears for the first time in the historical records currently available.
More detailed classification
The range of spirits represented has also continued to broaden.
The 2026 entries are spread across 215 detailed category classifications, compared with 192 in the 2025 entry file.
This reflects the work carried out in recent years to classify spirits more precisely according to raw material, production method, origin and style.
Regional spirits have increasingly been given their own place within the competition. Mahua, Feni, Viche/Biche, Zivania, Sotol and Cocuy have all received dedicated recognition in recent editions.
In 2026, Tapetusa from Colombia joins the competition as a new category.
At the same time, established spirits families such as rum, whisky, gin, fruit spirits, agave spirits, baijiu and soju are divided into more precise tasting groups.
The purpose is practical. Products should be judged alongside spirits with comparable production methods and sensory profiles.
The more detailed classification also gives greater visibility to spirits with a strong regional identity, even when they remain relatively small in international production.
Madeira and Rum da Madeira
Rum da Madeira is produced from fresh sugarcane juice and has a long history on the island. The category remains relatively small internationally, but it has a clear identity, its own production traditions and a close connection with Madeira’s agricultural history.
During the competition, judges will have the opportunity to meet local producers, visit distilleries and learn more about the production methods behind Rum da Madeira.
The competition itself remains blind. The visits and technical programme give the international panel a better understanding of the host region and its spirits culture.
This has been part of the format of Spirits Selection for many years. Since 2006, the competition has travelled to producing regions around the world, including Taiwan, Brazil, China, Chile, Bulgaria, Belgium, Guadeloupe, Italy and Mexico.
Portugal at the centre of the CMB calendar
The Madeira edition also comes at an important moment for the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Portugal.
Following Spirits Selection by CMB in October 2026, the CMB will return to Portugal in May 2027, when its Red and White Wines Session and Sweet and Fortified Wines Session will be held in the Douro Valley for the first time.
The two events place two very different Portuguese regions at the centre of the CMB calendar within a period of only seven months.
In Madeira, the focus will be on spirits and the island’s sugarcane tradition. In the Douro, the focus will move to one of the world’s historic wine regions and the birthplace of Port.
Both events bring an international group of professionals into direct contact with a producing region while maintaining independent competitions open to products from around the world.
About Spirits Selection by CMB
Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is an international itinerant competition dedicated to spirits.
Entries are tasted blind by a panel of professional judges selected from different areas of the spirits sector. Judges receive no information about the brand or producer during the evaluation.
Since 2006, the competition has been organised in different host countries and producing regions, giving its international panel the opportunity to discover local production while judging spirits from around the world under the same conditions.
