Distell has picked up 35 awards at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) across its whisky portfolio – which includes Bunnahahbain, Tobermory, Deanston, Black Bottle and Scottish Leader. Four of Distell’s achieved awards were outstanding gold awards, the highest honour bestowed at the IWSC.
Deanston Distillery claimed seven trophies from the prestigious awarding bodies, three of which were gold medals for its Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, including Virgin Oak, Heritage Sherry Cask which is exclusive to the Taiwan market, and 18-Year-Old expressions. Deanston’s Virgin Oak was awarded the top prize in the Scotch whisky category scoring an outstanding 99 points out of a hundred. The Highland distillery, located by the banks of the River Teith, is known for its uniquely waxy, soft, honeyed signature style of spirit.
Amongst Distell’s impressive roster, Black Bottle, a bold and smoky blend with unique character, picked up four medals from the IWSC judges with all four expressions in the range winning an impressive gold award. This included another two of the top prizes of Gold Outstanding being awarded to Black Bottle’s Double Cask & Island Smoke, the first releases from the newly launched Limited Edition Alchemy Series
Islay’s most remote distillery, Bunnahabhain, collected a gold medal for its Toiteach A Dha single malt, as well as an impressive 11 silver medals. Unlike most Islay distilleries, Bunnahabhain single malts are known for being predominantly unpeated and sherried, with awards across key expressions that embody this distillery style, including 12, 18, 25 and 30 Year-Olds.
Meanwhile, Tobermory Distillery on the idyllic Isle of Mull celebrated two silver awards for its core 12-Year-Old, and limited edition, Hebridean Series Edition 1 (23-Year-Old) expressions, the first of five releases, as well as awards across the entire Tobermory Gin portfolio (the Hebridean Core, Mountain and Coastal Gins). This boutique distillery is located in the centre of the vibrant Tobermory bay, and produces 3 distinctive spirits: unpeated Tobermory, Smokey Ledaig and Tobermory Gin.
Chiara Giovanacci, Distell’s Global Brand Lead for Single Malts said: “We are so excited to have been presented with such an amazing selection of trophies from the International Wine & Spirits Competition, and it can only reflect the incredible work of the teams at Tobermory, Deanston and Bunnahabhain distilleries.
“On behalf of each distillery, we are immensely proud that our diverse portfolio of expressions has been awarded with such a brilliant selection of accolades from this globally recognised organization.”
Blended Scotch whisky, Scottish Leader, secured five trophies at the IWSC including the Gold Outstanding award for its rich, sweet & distinctive 12-Year-Old. Four silver accolades for its Sherry Cask Finish, Supreme, Original and Signature expressions were also awarded giving the whole range this prestigious honour.
Amy Burns, Global Brand Lead for Blended Whisky said, “It’s been an incredible roster of award wins for both Black Bottle & Scottish Leader, receiving nine medals overall. The entire Black Bottle range won a gold award, with our both of our latest Black Bottle Alchemy Series Limited Editions & Scottish Leader 12 Year Old all receiving the prestigious top prize of ‘Gold Outstanding’ award, so we are delighted with the outcome and being recognised by a panel of such esteemed judges.”