ARRAN WHISKY STRIKES GOLD IN WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION
– Scottish distillery goes from strength to strength

Scotch whisky producer, Isle of Arran Distillery, is celebrating a double win for two of its single malts at the recent World Spirits Competition 2012.

Facing tough competition from across the world, Arran claimed a Double Gold award for its 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch and a Gold award for its 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch.

Held in San Francisco, the World Spirits Competition is one of the leading industry competitions, celebrating the very best spirits in the world today. This year was the biggest yet in the competition’s 12 year history, with 1,200 spirits from 61 countries being entered into the awards.

To date the 14 Year Old Malt is the oldest regular release to be bottled by Isle of Arran Distillery, and the whisky is already a multi-award winner. In 2011 it was named ‘Best Island (non Islay) Single Malt Whisky, 13-20 Years’ by Whisky Magazine.

Speaking of the high-profile win, Euan Mitchell, Managing Director of the Isle of Arran Distillery, said: “We pride ourselves on making high quality products that people will enjoy and savour. It’s fantastic to be recognised by the industry and our peers in this way and I’m delighted that the quality of our spirits has received critical acclaim.”

Since it was established 17 years ago, The Isle of Arran Distillery has won a number of awards including Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007).

James Taggart is the Master Distiller at the Isle of Arran Distillery and was responsible for creating both malts. He said: “14 Years is not a common age for a Single Malt, so I’m delighted that it has already been so well received. It’s exciting that this product is now a multi-award winner and to see our whisky celebrated on a global scale. We hope to continue producing award- winning malts for many years to come.”

* Current accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007.)
Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.)

Also, ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the World Spirits Competition 2012.