August 3, 2009. Wallkill, New York. Spirit Journal, Inc. announced today that American spirits writer/critic/educator F. Paul Pacult, co-managing partner in SJ, Inc., is resigning his post, effective immediately, as Judging Director for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. With journalist/publisher Anthony Dias Blue and general manager Carol Seibert, Pacult had helped to organize the initial competition in 2000 and has served since then as Judging Director.
Said Pacult of his departure: “After a decade, I leave knowing the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in is sound shape. I’m proud of the accomplishments that I’ve shared with my longtime colleagues and friends Andy Blue and Carol Seibert. Each year, the entry level has grown, based largely on the credibility of the judging process and the expertise of the judges. I thank everyone involved with the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, from the sterling judges to the selfless volunteers to the top-notch staff, all of whom made my participation such a pleasurable professional experience.
“It is now time for me to pursue other business ventures which will require my full attention. I wish nothing but continued success for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and everyone involved.”
F. Paul Pacult is the editor of F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal; the author of five books and hundreds of articles on spirits, wine, and beer in such publications as Delta Sky, The New York Times Magazine, Playboy and many more; the spirits tasting director of Wine Enthusiast Magazine; a founding partner of award-winning Beverage Alcohol Resource LLC; a Master of The Keepers of the Quaich (Scotland) whisky society; a Life Member of the Bourbon Hall of Fame (Kentucky); and a Life Member of France’s Compagnie Mousquetaires d’Armagnac. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife and partner Sue Woodley.