Aguas de Mondariz has received the “Crystal Taste Award 2011”, the very highest international recognition of taste and excellence from the International Taste & Quality Institute

• Aguas de Mondariz was rated as “Exceptional”, according to the blind evaluation by 3 different judging panels over the last 3 years.

• Aguas de Mondariz has become the first Spanish packaged beverage brand to receive the “Crystal Taste Award”.

• The iTQi, comprising 140 chefs and sommeliers from twelve prestigious European culinary associations, has rated the brand as “Exceptional” in the “Superior Taste Award 2011”

Mondariz, 27 May 2011. Aguas de Mondariz was yet again among the winners of the Superior Taste Award 2011 from the International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi). This year, Aguas de Mondariz has taken the “Crystal Taste Award 2011”, the very highest international recognition that certifies that the product has been rated as “Exceptional”, according to the blind evaluation by 3 different judging panels 3 years in a row. Aguas de Mondariz has thus become the first Spanish bottled water brand to receive with international award.
The International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi) jury selected Aguas de Mondariz for the “Crystal Taste Award 2011”, which is the very highest recognition for consistent proof of excellence, which is only granted to those products that were rated as “Exceptional”, according to the evaluation by 3 different panels of judges over the last 3 years.
According to Javier R. Losada, Managing Director of Aguas de Mondariz, this award “recognises the endeavour of Aguas de Mondariz over the last 137 years and has always been synonymous with quality and prestige right from the start.. These awards add to the long list of international recognitions that Aguas de Mondariz has received over the years and which led to it being appointed as the official purveyor to the Royal Family in the 19th and 20th century".

Since 1873, Aguas de Mondariz has been known for its beneficial mineral and health benefits and is now an international benchmark in terms of its quality and purity. The special natural enrichment of the Aguas de Mondariz water is due to its being filtered at great depth over 150 years through the characteristic granite rocks of this sub-soil.
Only Spanish bottled water brand to be selected for this top prize
During the “Superior Taste Award 2011”, the Aguas de Mondariz waster was analysed alongside other waters from around the world, and has become the only Spanish water brand to be selected for the “Crystal Taste Award” from the Brussels International Taste and Quality Institute.
Brussels International Taste and Quality Institute
The Brussels iTQi (International Taste and Quality Institute) is an independent Chef- and Sommelier-based organisation from different countries dedicated to testing, judging and promoting the best food and drink from around the world. The Institute therefore showcases the best flavours with its annual awards.
This year, 906 products for 53 countries, which were judged by a jury of 140 chefs and sommeliers, were entered for the prestigious Superior Taste Awards. The Judges are selected from the 12 most prestigious European culinary and sommeliers association, such as the Maîtres Cuisiniers of France and Belgium, Academy of Culinary Arts, la Federación de Asociaciones de Cocineros, Académie Culinaire de Francia, Asociaciones de Cocineros de España, Jeunes Restaurateurs d´Europe, Federazione dei Cuochi Italiana, Hellenic Chef´s Association, Verband der Köche Deutschlands, Euro-Toques and the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI).
Each of the members of the jury are chosen for their unanimously recognised talents as Chefs or Sommeliers by guides such as Michelin or Gault Millau, their extended practice in tasting, their capacity to describe the flavour features of the products and ability to suggest potential improvements within the sensory analysis framework.

During the judging process, the products are tested blind, without packaging and without any kind of identification by renowned chefs and sommeliers - flavour analysis opinion leaders - from the most prestigious European culinary and sommelier associations. Each judge performs a sensory analysis of the product and assigns a score that reflects the overall feeling of hedonic pleasure, which has the most important weight in the final mark), along with other criteria such as the look, smell, texture and flavour and taste in the mouth.
Furthermore, and in order to ensure maximum objectively of the evaluations, the iTQI organises tasting session with the elimination of the interactions among the jury members, the unanimous and blind presentation of the products, and large panels of judges from different nationalities.

About Aguas de Mondariz
Aguas de Mondariz is the leading company in the natural mineral water bottling and marketing sector in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula. Its operations serve the food and catering segments and it is present in 29 countries on the five continents. It is a single-spring brand endorsed by its 137 years of history. Its origins are linked to the Mondariz spa activity and the mineral-medicinal water operations, which was declared to be of Public Utility in 1873 and which began to be marketed in 1877. The company bottles 98 million litres of water, which is sold in over 140 million containers, each year.

For further information:
Aguas de Mondariz Communications Department
Tel: 91.521.18.00. comunicacion@aguasdemondariz.com
www.aguasdemondariz.com

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Aguas de Mondariz has received the “Crystal Taste Award 2011”