As well as whisky’s strongholds in Scotland, Ireland and the US, countries all over the globe are crafting impressive expressions, as our annual World Whisky Masters blind-tasting competition proves.
Whiskies from around the world are making waves, with producers from the likes of Taiwan and Australia gaining acclaim for their
high-quality and innovative products. Distillers from whisky heartlands, such as Scotland and the US, are fighting harder than ever to create drams that compete with liquid from non-traditional whisky-making nations, where rules are often less restrictive.
To assess the quality of these expressions, we staged the latest edition of our World Whisky Masters to bestow medals upon whiskies made outside of Ireland, Scotland and the US.
Judges gathered at the Ibis Styles hotel in London’s Southwark to decide the medallists. The competition was held alongside The American Whiskey Masters and The Irish Whiskey Masters. Entries were shipped and packed by Sensible Wines.
The first panel was chaired by Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business. She was joined by: Michael Fichtner, whisky sommelier at The Coburg Bar at The Connaught; Herchelle Perez Terrado, director of Drinks Partnership; and Chris Tanner, general manager of Silverleaf bar in London.
Matt Chambers, spirits writer and co-founder of the Whisky for Everyone blog chaired the next panel. It included: Derek Millar, retired whisky sales advisor; Angelo Sparvoli, head bartender at St James Bar at the Sofitel St James in London; and Marie Cheong Thong, wine and spirits judge, and a Wine and Spirit Education Trust educator.
The third panel, chaired by Billy Abbott, ambassador at The Whisky Exchange, included: Caroline Roddis, editor of The Whisky Exchange; and drinks consultant Stephen Kennard, of SMJK Consulting.
The fourth group comprised: Nicola Carruthers, deputy editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of the panel; Nicola Thomson, director of Practical Matters; Toshio Ueno, vice-president and executive instructor at Sake School of America; and Sara Jane Eichler, founder of Negroni Club UK.
The competition got off to a strong start as the first round of the day, Asia (excluding Japan and India, saw a Master medal go to Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky.
Abbott said of the expression: “Gorgeously fruity and floral nose with a touch of toffee, leads into a woodier palate, which opens up to reveal polished oak, roasted orchard fruit, toffee, and soft spice.”
Taiwanese distiller Kavalan also scooped 10 Gold medals and one Silver in the round. Gold medallists included Kavalan Classic Single Malt, with its “rich nose” and “rounded and fruity palate”, Kavalan Solist Madeira Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky, praised for its “buttery nose, rancio notes on the palate and amazing acidity” and the “deliciously fruity” and “aromatic and complex” Kavalan Distillery Select No.1 Single Malt Whisky.
Fellow Taiwanese producer Nantou Distillery walked away with two Golds for the “sweet and woody” Yushan Single Malt Sherry, and Yushan Single Malt Bourbon, which was “soft and elegant on the nose with a robust palate”. A Silver was also awarded to Yushan Blended Malt.
The next round assessed drams from Japan, with two Golds dished out. The first went to Kamiki Intense Wood Whisky, which was lauded by Ueno for its notes of “toasted nuts and oak” and a “rounded, sweet finish”.
The second Master winner, Togouchi Single Malt, was praised for having an “umami nose”, with “green apples and sea salt”.
Eichler said: “I thought the first one had lots of complexity, with a whiff of smoke. They both told a story and took drinkers on a journey. Both were pretty complex.”
The following flight, India, gave Golds to Indri Single Malt Indian Whisky – Trini and Rampur Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky. Ueno particularly enjoyed the former for being “crisp and refreshing” with hints of “pear, green apple and mandarin orange”, while the latter was “salty and coastal on the nose, tropical with a lovely trail of spice on the finish”. The round concluded with a Silver for Rampur Asava Indian Single Malt Whisky.
Whiskies from Australasia came under scrutiny next, with a strong showing from Australian distillers. Here, we discovered three Master medals from Australia – Starward Tawny #2, Chinotto Cask II Cask Strength, and Starward Ginger Beer Cask #7. Starward Tawny #2 was enjoyed by Eichler, who noted: “Vanilla cupcake on the nose, smooth and well balanced, dark fruits and layers of spice.”
Lark Distilling’s Chinotto Cask II Cask Strength impressed Chambers with its “herbal and bitter orange aroma, golden syrup underneath, milk chocolate and bitter orange/grapefruit on the palate, hint of coffee and syrupy mouthfeel. Very good for the high ABV, the alcohol is well integrated.” Meanwhile, Starward Ginger Beer Cask #7 was described as “warm, inviting and moreish” with Sparvoli praising its “gingery and spicy nose, complex and tingling on the tongue. Pleasant and rounded palate with a gingery finish”.
A bumper 20 Gold medals were dished out in the round, including seven to Tasmania’s Lark Distilling. Lark’s Classic Cask was lauded for its “umami salty caramel nose, well-balanced palate and rounded finish”.
Lark’s Evolve Whisky Bar Series offered a nose of “golden syrup, oak and earthy spice; peppery on the palate to begin with but subsides to dried tropical fruit and caramel notes, green apple and warming spices underneath”, Chambers noted.
Fellow Australian producer Copper & Grain Distilling Co walked away with four Golds in the round, including one for Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky Signature (40% ABV), with its hints of “wet red wood, malty, stewed apple, roasted almond powder and brown butter”.
Stablemate Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky Muscat Barrel (48% ABV) impressed Abbott with its “spiced toffee and caramel on the nose with a touch of gingerbread” and “savoury palate with a hint of sesame and soy, as well as lots of bready notes”.
Archie Rose Distilling Co was given two Golds for its Rye Malt Whisky, with “peppery spice on the nose and palate”, and Single Malt Whisky, with “soy on the nose” and “caramel sweetness”.
Five Golds were also dished out to Starward, including one to Starward Fortis, with its hints of “stone fruit and currants”, and praised for its “high ABV done very well” at 50% ABV.
The round concluded with an impressive eight Silver medals.
Chambers said of the round: “This was a revelation: the stronger-ABV versions were very well integrated with the flavour profile, and provided great balance, so it’s good to see producers thinking outside the box to give a new style of approachable product for the consumer.”
The tasting moved to whiskies from Europe, with blends put to the test first. Three Golds were given to the “vegetal and coastal” Black Ram, “smooth and creamy” Bellevoye Bleu, and Old Hunter’s Bourbon Cask Reserve, with its “soft creamy notes, coffee and developing fruit” on the palate. One Silver was given to Stauning Kaos Triple Malt Whisky.
Single malts from Europe were assessed next. English distillers led the round with six Master medals awarded to products from the country. The first went to Cotswolds Distillery’s Cotswolds Platinum Jubilee 1952 Cask Whisky, with its “rich and inviting nose with treacle and burnt sugar” and “lingering sweetness on the palate” with “fudge, toffee and clotted cream”.
Master-winning Filey Bay Special Release Double Oak #1 – Yorkshire Single Malt Whisky from Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery was described by Eichler as: “Wonderfully grapey, musty floral nose. Rich and complex, with fruit and floral overlayed by a sheet of honeyed caramel.”
Stablemate Filey Bay Peated Finish Batch #2 – Yorkshire Single Malt Whisky was deemed Master-worthy for its “toasty smoke and toasted oak, root vegetable, dark chocolate, but zesty at the same time with a balanced finish”.
Wire Works Whisky Small Batch from White Peak Distillery in the Peak District gained the top award for “crème brûlée on the nose, marshmallows, but not overly sweet” with “maltiness coming through on the palate, and a slightly herbal quality”.
Gulliver’s 47 English Single Malt Whisky Bourbon Cask took home a Master. Chambers said of the expression: “Delicious sweet peat smoke on the nose with heather honey and toffee apple in the background, rounded and creamy with soft sweet floral smoke. A very long finish with a very pleasant and warming spice, and a hint of charcoal ash right at the end – superb.”
Cotswolds Distillery’s Hearts & Crafts Rum Cask Single Malt Whisky was another worthy Master winner, enjoyed for its “woody and fruity nose” and “golden syrup” on the palate followed by a “peppery finish”.
The final Master in the round was given to German whisky Freud Distiller’s Cut. Abbott said: “It had a very rounded and complex nose – nuts, soft fruit (orchard and tropical hints), brown sugar, meaty hints. The palate continues that, with an extra layer of coffee cream and building syrupy fruit sweetness. Liquorice rolls in at the end with a long finish of chocolate.”
Nineteen Golds were also given out in the flight, including four to Wales’ Penderyn Distillery. Millar enjoyed Penderyn Legend, with its “slight smoky nose, light, sweet palate with strawberry notes” while the “easy sipping” Penderyn Myth had a “banana custard nose, peach and summer fruit”.
Switzerland’s Seven Seals also took home five Golds, including Seven Seals Peated Port Wood Finish, lauded for its “complex nose of bold smoke, maple syrup and bacon” with “dried fruits, some apricot and hints of tobacco and leather”. Seven Seals The Age of Leo was enjoyed for its “big cask-forward nose – rubbery and fruity”, with “rich fruit-cake notes”.
English producer Henstone Distillery also grabbed a Gold for its Single Malt Whisky, with a nose of “fennel and orange” and a “well-balanced orangey palate with apricot notes”. Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery also secured five Golds. The round finished off with 11 Silver medals.
Chambers said of the flight: “It was interesting to see so many different styles, but this makes it difficult for a consumer to pick a ‘European single malt’. How do they know what they will get? It’s a more classic style than the previous Australasian flight, which seemed more flavour-led.”
The last flight of the European contingent saw a single rye bottling put to the test. Denmark’s Stauning Rye Whiskey came out with a Gold, praised by Abbott for its “solidly spicy nose – gingerbread, spiced biscuits and a load of green leaves” and “rye-forward palate with layers of chocolate, mint and grass”.
The competition progressed to Canada, with five whiskies securing a Gold medal. Among them were Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve Whisky, with “plump sultanas on the nose, rich dark and fruity” and likened to a “Christmas pudding”, while Gooderham & Worts Four Grain Whisky had “lots of apple notes on the nose, some grapes and a lovely buttery sugariness”. Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Whisky was lauded for its hints of “maple syrup, toasted peanut, and toffee”.
Gold winner Whistlepig 15 Years Estate Oak Rye “would make a great Highball”, according to Kiely, who said it had “nice creaminess on the palate, a little white pepper heat and caramelised hazelnuts. Nicely balanced and a solid whisky.” Stablemate Whistlepig 12 Years Old World Rye offered “honeycomb aromas and orchard fruits”. Three Silvers were given out in the flight.
Thomson said of the Canadian contingent: “These were great for use in cocktails with their sweetness. They were all well made, but the complexities were not there as much as other flights.”
Over to South Africa and the judges were delighted to find the competition’s final Master of the day. Distell’s Three Ships Whisky 21 Years Old Millennium won the top award.
Abbott said of the Master medallist: “Rich cinder toffee nose with layers of dried fruit: sultanas, raisins and apples. The palate is very approachable, especially for the ABV, with an appropriately intense cinder toffee, toffee and brown sugar sweetness running through with mint, liquorice, and anise.”
Four Golds were given to the “slightly fruity and easy drinking” Knights Finest Matured Whisky, Three Ships Whisky 12 Years Old Double Wood Blend with its “gingerbread and spiced biscuits”, Three Ships Whisky 10 Years Old Single Malt Nose with “hints of candied lemon, spice and meadow flowers”, and Firstwatch, which was “fruity and honeyed on the palate with a nice cereal base and oaky spices”. Three Silvers concluded the flight.
The final flight of the competition, Rest of the World, saw two Silvers given, to Utah’s High West Campfire, a blend of Scotch, Bourbon and rye, and Venezuelan-made Whisky Sir Xpecial.
It was then time to decide which whisky was worthy of the top title of Taste Master. Following a tasting of the 12 Master winners, the judges decided that Australian whisky Starward Tawny #2 was the stand-out expression of the bunch.
Judges enjoyed the diversity of styles shown across the whiskies from regions such as Europe and Asia. The Australasia flight was a particular highlight for the judges, as Abbott noted: “Australasian whisky continues to develop, diversify and get better and better.”
Tanner added: “Australasia as a market is still in its infancy and there’s a lot of scope to grow. It’s known for cask finishes and experimentation. You can see the proof here that they’re making good whiskies.”
Peraz Terrado noted the individualism in the regions, and the breadth of experimentation. She said: “People are more engaged with the diversity of whisky; they can see that in world whisky for sure. Having this range of flavour can only recruit new customers to the category.”
Earlier this week, we published the winners from The American Whiskey Masters and The Irish Whiskey Masters.
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