5 of the Most Prominent Awards and Competitions in the Whisky Industry

Though rewarding, working in the spirits industry can be challenging at times. As hard as the industry can be, its an extremely rewarding line of business to be in, especially when we hear back from our amazing customers and hear just how much you’re enjoying the dram of whisky you purchased from us.

Another part of the job that I absolutely love, that makes all the time and effort more than worth it, is having one of our drams nominated for an award, or better still, picking up an award. For the Great Drams faithful amongst you, you’ll know we’ve won our fair share of whisky awards over the years, which got me thinking about the different whisky awards out there.

There are far more whisky awards than a lot of people realise, but not all of them are exactly prestigious, or even legitimate for that matter. Because of this, I’ve decided to tell you more about some of the more prestigious whisky awards, and the history behind them.

International Wines and Spirits Competition (IWSC)

The IWSC is one of the most prestigious awards in the world of whisky.

The IWSC is based in San Francisco, California, and see entries from close to 90 countries across the globe.

Founded by wine chemist Anton Massel, back in 1969, the competition is one of the most competitive in the spirits industry. We know this because we have firsthand experience, and have been fortunate enough to win several awards from them over the years.

Originally known as ‘Club Oenologique’ it officially became the International Wines and Spirits Competition in 1978. Their aim was, and still is, to award excellence to a selection of the finest wines and spirits from all over the globe.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is one of my personal favourites, and no, not because we’ve also won gold and double gold here several times (although that definitely helps).

California has a rich and storied wine history (if you’ve never visited Temecula Valley, also known as wine country, you seriously must at some point) and originally they hosted the San Francisco International Wine Competition. This proved so popular that they expanded to include spirits.

It was founded in 2001 by Antony Dias Blue and sees hundreds of entries from countries all over the globe, every single year. Each year, a panel of expert judges consisting of mixologists, spirits buyers, critics, reviewers, spirits buyers, and more, is assembled to judge all manner of spirits, including whisky.

World Whiskies Awards

The World Whiskies Awards contest was launched back in 2007 after being founded by Whisky Magazine.

Here, distillers, independent bottlers, producers, importers, retailers, wholesalers, bottlers, and others, can enter their whiskies for judgement.

Based in the UK, though accepting entrants from the USA, Asia, and Europe, the awards are split into two separate categories: Taste, and Design. Whiskies are judged on all manner of different characteristics, including: nose, palate, finish, character, quality, balance, and more.

I like this particular award for many reasons, though I especially like their design category. Here, whisky is judged upon things such as production techniques, innovation, and quality of design. These are things we’re really passionate about at GreatDrams.com so you can see why I like it so much.

London Spirits Competition

Organised by Beverage Trade Network, the London Spirits Competition is a competition designed to help recognise and reward spirits brands across a broad selection of different categories.

The LSC judges whiskies based upon quality, value for money, and their appearance. They use a 100-point scoring system, with 65 – 75 points awarded for bronze, 76 – 89 points awarded for silver, and 90 – 100 points being awarded for gold.

We here at Great Drams have been fortunate enough to scoop numerous awards here over the years, including multiple golds. And yes, that’s something we’re immensely proud of.

International Whisky Competition

The International Whisky Competition, better known as the IWC, is another US-based event, though this one taking place in Chicago.

Sylvain Allard and Michael Petrucci founded this competition in 2009. Less than a decade ago in 2016, results from the competition actually began being used to create an International Whisky Guide.

The competition sees up to 60 different categories based upon the type of whisky. Like most other awards, gold, silver, and bronze is awarded for the top 3 whiskies in their category. Whiskies are sampled blindly by expert judges, with scores being determined via a 100 point scoring system.

A few examples of awards given include: Whisky of the Year, Distillery of the Year, Best Blended Whisky, Blogger of the Year, Best Flavoured Whisky, and many others.

Tags: AwardsCompetitionswhisky industry

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.