BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — A Canadian tap water is being called the best in the world.
Tap water from Clearbrook, British Columbia was chosen as the top water, straight from the faucet, during this weekend’s 24th Annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. It was the third gold medal for Clearbrook.
The best tap water in the United States was said to be from Santa Ana, Ca. while, among bottled waters, Castle Rock Water from Dunsmuir, Ca. won the gold medal over more than 30 other entries from around the world.
In all, over two days, ten judges tasted dozens of waters from 18 states, three Canadian provinces and 12 foreign nations — including Tanzania, South Korea and Thailand — at The Country Inn in Berkeley Springs.
According to organizers, the judging of the waters is based on several attributes: appearance — the water should be clear or slightly opaque for glacial waters; aroma — there should be none; taste — it should taste clean; mouth feel — the water should feel light; and aftertaste — it should leave you thirsty for more.
Here is the full list of winners for 2014:
Best Municipal Water 2014
Best in the World – Clearbrook, BC, Canada
Best in USA – Santa Ana, CA
2nd – Hamilton, OH
3rd – Greenwood, BC, Canada
4th (tie)– Dickinson, ND & Montpelier, OH
5th – Emporia, KS
Best Bottled Water 2014
1st – Castle Rock Water, Dunsmuir, CA
2nd – Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Eldorado, CO
Samaria Natural Springs Water, Crete, Greece
3rd – Mountain Drop from Linthicum, MD bottling Berkeley Springs water.
4th – Avita Premium Artesian Alkaline Water, Roscommon, MI
Element , Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia
Best Sparkling – 2014
1st – Canadian Gold Sparkling Mineral Water, Marchand, MB, Canada
2nd. Jackson Springs Natural Premium Spring Water, MB, Canada
3rd – Antipodes, Whakatane, New Zealand
4th – Tesanjski Dijament, Tesanj, Bosnia
Naked Luxury Artesian Water, Bay of Plenty, NZ
Tesanjski Kiseljak, Tesanj, Bosnia
Best Packaging — 2014
1st – Hallasu, Republic of Korea
2nd – Bama Tianshou Spring, Bama, China
3rd – Waiakea, Kea’au Aquifer, HI
4th – Cerebellum H2O, Hoboken, NJ
5th – Marvelus Sparkling Mineral Water, Ocala, FL
Best Purified Drinking Water – 2014
1st – Mountain Drop from Linthicum, MD bottling Berkeley Springs water.
2nd – Indigo H2O, Elkhart, IN
Bar H2O, Richmond, MI
3rd — Berkeley Springs Purified Water – Berkeley Springs, WV
January, Barnston QE, Canada.
4th — Rain Fresh Oxygen-Rich Purified Water – Garland, TX