The world whiskies awards are part of the prestigious World Drinks Awards programme which also includes the World Beer, Gin, Rum, Vodka etc. awards. The world whiskies awards are based on two major categories that are taste and design. Within each main category there are sub categories in which the whole industry such as distillers, bottlers, designers and packaging agencies etc. can all enter and not just most would assume just the distilleries.
So let us take this opportunity to understand how this award works and what exactly does it mean to win one of these awards. As mentioned above there are two major categories:
Taste – The sub-categories are based on type of whiskies such as blends, single malt and blended malts. Over the years other categories such as best rye, bourbon, single pot still etc. It is judged on the following: Balance, Character, Complexity, Quality and Functionality.
It also provides a regional stage 1 award category as well such as Australia’s best blend, single malt etc. which i think is a great idea as it highlights regional excellence and gives the less established regions exposure.
Design - Design is a major part of the whisky industry, Do you judge a book by it's cover? Well you shouldn’t judge a whisky based on the bottle… but have you seen some of the bottle and packaging designs? Just add a LED light behind it… and you have Art!
The World Whiskies awards have six design categories:
Cat 1: Standard, Premium and Ultra-Premium
Cat 2: Limited Edition
Cat 3: Duty Free and Back of Bar Exclusive
Cat 4: New Launch/ Relaunch
Cat 5: Technical Excellence/Craftsmanship
Cat 6: Design Effectiveness (design VS actual sales figures)
So as you can see it is quite comprehensive.
I will not go through all the winners of each category but you can find it all here:
Winner Winner chicken dinner - WW Taste awards distribution: America 6, Scotland 3, Japan 2, Canada and Ireland 1 with Australia regional winners (Map from Google maps)
So let us focus on the taste category and in particular the following:
World's Best Single Malt Whisky - Old Pulteney Vintage 1989 ($221.86)
World's Best blended Malt Whisky - Reference Series III.2 ($397.83)
World’s Best Blended Whisky - Suntory Hibiki 21 Years Old ($285.25)
World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt Whiskey - Kavalan Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength (Could not find price)
Prices quoted above are taken from master of malt (AUD) and does not include postage and tax.
So the "Oscar" went to Old Pulteney 1989 vintage, they must be doing well as in 2012 the Old Pulteney 21 years old won Jim Murray’s Whisky of the year and obtained a record 97.5/100 score.
A heartfelt congratulation to all the winners and I am sure all the whiskies are top notch, now to the issue I have with these sorts of awards. I agree that is it important to recognise excellence and that the winners should be celebrated. But the issue that I have is did you notice the price associated with the winners? The prices I quoted did not include tax and delivery and most of them are very hard to obtain if not already sold out. Such the economics of supply VS demand in particular after winning such awards, I get it however what is the point if most people can’t even taste these winners…
For example the Hibiki 21 year old… won best blended whisky, I was very fortunate to obtain a bottle, but I had to fly to japan, search through around 10 liquor stores and pay a sizable sum to obtain a bottle and I was very lucky! I would consider the Hibiki obtainable… the others … there is always master of malt (high tax + delivery fee) or the distillery itself (flight + accommodation).
I guess my point is that it is very nice to name these whiskies but for everyday people they should add an extra category along the lines of “World best whisky that is readily available” then, everyday people would able to have a realistic chance to try at least one of the winners each year! This way they can appreciate and develop their understanding with the "professionals".
Just a special mention to the World Best Design awards the winner was the Italian design Puni Alba, looks very much like a Motor Oil Bottle:
My favourite design... Hibiki Limited Edition for Travel exclusive... simply beautiful!
Well I hoped that you have learnt more about the World Whiskies Awards, this along with Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible does highlight some of the best whiskies of the year! But remember this is just a opinion and the best whisky in the world will ALWAYS be the one that you drink!
Good luck hunting!
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May 2016
- May 4, 2016 Ardbeg Uigeadail May 4, 2016
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April 2016
- Apr 22, 2016 Glen Orrin 30 Years Apr 22, 2016
- Apr 15, 2016 Hakushu 12 Years SMW Apr 15, 2016
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March 2016
- Mar 28, 2016 Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky Mar 28, 2016
- Mar 22, 2016 World Whiskies Awards 2016 Mar 22, 2016
- Mar 18, 2016 Glen Grant 10 Years Mar 18, 2016
- Mar 11, 2016 Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask Mar 11, 2016
- Mar 4, 2016 The Macallan 12 years Sherry Cask Mar 4, 2016
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February 2016
- Feb 26, 2016 Monkey Shoulders Blended Malt Feb 26, 2016
- Feb 19, 2016 Whisky 101 - Understanding the Label Feb 19, 2016
- Feb 12, 2016 Amrut Fusion SMW Feb 12, 2016
- Feb 8, 2016 Lagavulin 16 Years Old Feb 8, 2016
- Feb 7, 2016 The Yamazaki Single Malt 12 years old Feb 7, 2016