Last week saw the announcement of the winners of the Whisky Magazine Awards 2024. The ceremony, held in London’s Merchant Taylor’s Hall on 20 March, celebrated the winners of World’s Best in the World Whiskies Awards. Also announced were the Icons of Whisky global winners, and three new entrants into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame.

 

Whisky Magazine has been running the World Whiskies Awards since 2001, where it began as the Whisky Magazine ‘Best of the Best’ competition. The announcement comes after blind tastings held worldwide by expert judges. This years, judges tasted more than 1,500 different whiskies, representing more than 40 countries. The 23 categories into which whiskies were entered include single malt, bourbon, blended, rye, pot still, and design. 

 

Winners in the 2024 awards include The English Sherry Cask for World’s Best Single Malt, 1792 12 Years Old for World’s Best Bourbon, and Ballantine’s 30 Years Old for World’s Best Blended. 

 

Anita Ujszaszi, awards director, said of the World Whiskies Awards: “It has been another fantastic year for the World Whiskies Awards as well as the Icons of Whisky. From the incredible and ever-diversifying range of products entered to the fantastic people we get to work with on our judging panels, it is a privilege to be part of this most amazing industry. This was another incredibly strong year in all the categories and there were worthy winners across the globe, showcasing that this is more than just making a product — it is people dedicating their lives to making something extraordinary.”

 

Also awarded last week were the Icons of Whisky global winners, following the announcements of the regional winners earlier this year. The Icons of Whisky recognises the people and places of the whisky industry, including brand ambassadors, distillers, visitor attraction teams, and PR agencies. Among this year’s winners was Glen Moray’s Stephen Woodcock, who was named Master Blender/Master Distiller of the Year. 

 

Bethany Brown, editor of Whisky Magazine and chair of judges for the Icons of Whisky awards, said: “We had an outstanding crop of entries to all our regional Icons of Whisky competitions this year, making the selection of our global winners a difficult process. However, for us as judges, this is the best kind of challenge; it goes to prove the seemingly inexhaustible innovation, strength, and ingenuity to be found within the global whisky industry.

 

“I would like to congratulate our winners, but also thank them — and all our Icons of Whisky 2024 entrants — for the work they do each and every day to help the whisky industry thrive.” 

 

The event also announced the three new inductees of the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame: Russell Anderson of the Macallan Distillery; Ichiro Akuto, founder of Venture Whisky and Chichibu Distillery; and Canadian whisky writer and consultant Davin de Kergommeaux. 

 

The full list of winners can be found via the World Whiskies Awards website.