Finalists Announced in Inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards
The finalists in the first annual Scottish Whisky Awards have been announced with 52 companies and 97 Scotch whiskies progressing to finalist stage in the new national competition.
The awards cover both taste and business performance and were judged last month by a highly experienced judging panel consisting of some of the world’s foremost experts in the business of Scotch.
Whiskies were assessed by a 32-strong judging panel from the UK, mainland Europe and Asia as part of a wide-scale blind tasting managed by the international sensory management consultancy, Cara Technology.
Five distilleries have been selected for the ultimate award of the competition, The Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year. Craigellachie Distillery, GlenAllachie Distillery, Glen Scotia Distillery, Highland Park Distillery and Loch Lomond Distillery have been selected following a rigorous judging process which combined performance in business categories and the marks from the blind tasting,
Chair of the judging panel, Alan Wolstenholme, who also chairs the Scottish Distillers Association, commented;
“The Scottish Whisky Awards has now established itself as a robust and highly regarded competition which has a significant role to play in the Scotch whisky industry.
“Congratulations to all our finalists who have progressed and many thanks to the judges who have been submitting marks from around the world which ensures that we have drawn on some of the best insight and experience available.
“Scotch is the most important industry in Scotland; we have a unique and untouchable history and heritage. We look forward to helping promote the success of our finalist businesses at home and abroad in the coming months.”
The awards are supported by commercial sponsors including Shawbrook Bank and Bruce Stevenson.
Kevin Boyd, Managing Director at Shawbrook Bank commented;
“At Shawbrook Bank, we are proud to play a part in supporting the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards which offers a fantastic platform for blenders, bottlers and distillers to be recognised at both national and international level. We congratulate all of the finalists and look forward to celebrating everything that is great about Scotch in September.”
Graeme Dempster, Account Executive at Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers commented;
“Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers are delighted to sponsor the prestigious Best Newcomer category in the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards. It is terrific to see sustained growth in the Scotch Whisky sector and we congratulate all finalists in this year’s competition and wish them the best of luck.”
The winners will be announced at the Scottish Whisky Awards dinner and celebration on Thursday 5 September 2019 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh. Finalists businesses are reserved places for purchase until Friday 12th July 2019 when tickets go on general release.
The awards, created by the PR and Events company KDMedia, are also a fundraising vehicle for The BEN, the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by rugby legend Doddie Weir to help improve the lives of those affected by Motor Neuron Disease.
