Ardbeg has struck again as the Islay distillery won the award for Distillery of the Year at the 2020 International Whisky Competition for the third consecutive year. Furthermore, the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy-owned brand won first, second, and third in the Best Single Malt Scotch and Best Single Malt Scotch NAS (No Age Statement) categories.
Elsewhere, for the first time in the history of the International Whisky Competition, the award for “Whiskey of the Year” was given to a blend created by a woman. Stephanie Macleod, the Master Blender for John Dewar and Sons, received the award for the John Dewar and Sons Double Double 32 Year Old. She was also granted the prize for Master Blender of the Year, for the second year in a row.
At the 11th edition of the annual Whisky competition, Whiskies from around the world were judged side by side in Estes Park, Colorado. A tasting panel made up of wine, spirit, beer, and Whisky experts blind tested each bottle over a four-day period from June 10th-June 14th. Each Whisky was tasted on its own across 15 different criteria. In the end, every bottle is given a score on a 100-point scale.
Only three medals are awarded in any specific category. Below are all of the awards from the 2020 International Whisky Competition:
2020 International Whisky Competition Results:
Whisky of the Year
Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old (96.4 points)
Master Blender of the Year
Stephanie Macleod
John Dewar & Sons
Golden Barrel Trophy
John Dewar and Sons
Master Distiller of the Year
Dr Bill Lumsden
Glenmorangie Distillery
Distillery of the Year
Ardbeg Distillery
Brand Ambassador of the Year
Will be announced Fall 2020
SCOTLAND
Best Single Malt Scotch
1st Place: Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
2nd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Edition (94.23 pts)
3rd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack (94.20 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch NAS (No Age Statement)
1st Place: Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
2nd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Edition (94.23 pts)
3rd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack (94.20 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch Under 10 Year Old
1st Place: Ardbeg Wee Beastie (92.6 pts)
2nd Place: Glen Turner Rum Cask Finish
Best Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old
1st Place: Edradour 10 Year Old (90.0 pts)
2nd Place: Ardbeg 10 Year Old (89.1 pts)
3rd Place: The Cooper (88.5 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Year Old
1st Place: Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old (91.8 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie The Accord (90.4 pts)
3rd Place: Aberlour 12 Year Old (88.7 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 13-14 Year Old
1st Place: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old (92.2 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie The Elementa (86.7 pts)
3rd Place: The Glenlivet 14 Year Old (85.7 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 15 Year Old
1st Place: The Glenlivet 15 Year Old (89.9 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie Cadboll Estate (87.7 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 16-17 Year Old
1st Place: Aberlour 16 Year Old (89.7 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie The Tribute (89.1 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 18 Year Old
1st Place: The Glenlivet 18 Year Old (92.6 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie 18 Year Old (91.7 pts)
3rd Place: Aberlour 18 Year Old (89.9 pts)
Best Single Malt Scotch 19-25 Year Old
1st Place: Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1996 (92.4 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1995 (91.40 pts)
3rd Place: Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Old (91.37 pts)
Best Islay Single Malt
1st Place: Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
2nd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Edition (94.23 pts)
3rd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack (94.20 pts)
Best Highland Single Malt
1st Place: Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1996 (92.4 pts)
2nd Place: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old (92.2 pts)
3rd Place: Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old (91.8 pts)
Best Speyside Single Malt:
1st Place: The Glenlivet 18 Year Old (92.6 pts)
2nd Place: The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve (90.2 pts)
3rd Place: Aberlour A’Bunadh (90.1 pts)
Best Lowland Single Malt:
1st Place: 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Peated Release No.1 (87.9 pts)
2nd Place: 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky – The Original 2019 Release
3rd Place: Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
Best Cask Strength Scotch (Over 57% ABV)
1st Place: Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
2nd Place: Aberlour A’Bunadh (90.1 pts)
3rd Place: Aberlour A’Bunadh Alba (87.9 pts)
Best Peated Scotch
1st Place: Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
2nd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Edition (94.23 pts)
3rd Place: Ardbeg Blaaack (94.20 pts)
Best Blended Scotch
1st Place: Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old (96.4 pts)
2nd Place: Dewar’s Double Double 27 Year Old (92.9 pts)
3rd Place: Dewar’s 25 Year Old The Signature (92.8 pts)
Best Blended Scotch (NAS)
1st Place: Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth (88.6 pts)
2nd Place: Dewar’s Ilegal Smooth (87.9 pts)
3rd Place: Dewar’s White Label (83.6 pts)
Best Blended Scotch 12-15 Year Old
1st Place: Dewar’s 12 Year Old The Ancestor (90.4 pts)
2nd Place: Imperial 12 Year Old (89.2 pts)
3rd Place: Dewar’s 15 Year Old The Monarch (88.0 pts)
Best Blended Scotch 16-20 Year Old
1st Place: Dewar’s 18 Year Old The Vintage (85.9 pts)
Best Blended Scotch 21-24 Year Old
1st Place: Dewar’s Double Double 21 Year Old (91.9 pts)
Best Blended Scotch 25 Year Old And Over
1st Place: Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old (96.4 pts)
2nd Place: Dewar’s Double Double 27 Year Old (92.9 pts)
3rd Place: Dewar’s 25 Year Old The Signature (92.8 pts)
USA
Best American Whiskey
1st Place: Eagle Rare 10 Year Old (93.0 pts)
2nd Place: 1792 12 Year Old (92.8 pts)
3rd Place: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond (92.0 pts)
Best Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1st Place: Eagle Rare 10 Year Old (93.0 pts)
2nd Place: 1792 12 Year Old (92.8 pts)
3rd Place: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond (92.0 pts)
Best Bourbon Whiskey
1st Place: Eagle Rare 10 Year Old (93.0 pts)
2nd Place: 1792 12 Year Old (92.8 pts)
3rd Place: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond (92.0 pts)
Best Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
1st Place: 1792 Full Proof (91.2 pts)
2nd Place: Old Hamer Straight Bourbon Cask Strength (90.9 pts)
3rd Place: Weller Full Proof (89.9 pts)
Best Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
1st Place: 1792 Single Barrel (90.3 pts)
2nd Place: Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel (89.7 pts)
3rd Place: Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel (89.5 pts)
Best American Rye Whiskey
1st Place: Old Elk Straight Rye (87.0 pts)
2nd Place: Old Hamer Straight Rye Cask Strength
3rd Place: Old Hamer Straight Rye 90 Proof
Best American Wheat Whiskey
1st Place: Old Elk Straight Wheat
Best American Single Malt
1st Place: Old 55 Single Barrel American Single Malt (87.4 pts)
2nd Place: Uprising Bottled-in-Bond
Best Micro Distillery Whiskey
(Under 150,000 bottles & scoring over 85 points)
1st Place: Old Hamer Straight Bourbon Cask Strength (90.9 pts)
2nd Place: Old 55 Single Barrel Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond (87.7 pts)
3rd Place: Old 55 Single Barrel American Single Malt (87.4 pts)
Best Moonshine – White Lightning – New Make
1st Place: The Mob Museum Moonshine (85.67 pts)
Best Flavored Whiskey
1st Place: Bowen Grapesky (89.9 pts)
2nd Place: Old Elk PB & Whiskey
3rd Place: Feisty Maple + Cinnamon Whiskey
*Awards By U.S. States (Only for Whiskeys Scoring Over 85 Points)
Best Colorado Whiskey
1st Place: Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon (90.1 pts)
2nd Place: Old Elk Straight Rye (87.0 pts)
3rd Place: Old Elk Wheated Straight Bourbon (85.9 pts)
Best Indiana Whiskey
1st Place: Old Hamer Straight Bourbon Cask Strength (90.9 pts)
2nd Place: Remus Repeal Reserve Series III (90.1 pts)
3rd Place: Old 55 Single Barrel Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond (87.7 pts)
Best Kentucky Whiskey
1st Place: Eagle Rare 10 Year Old (93.0 pts)
2nd Place: 1792 12 Year Old (92.8 pts)
3rd Place: 1792 Bottled-in-Bond (92.0 pts)
Best Tennessee Whiskey
1st Place: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium (90.9 pts)
2nd Place: Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch – V. Eady Butler Batch (89.4 pts)
3rd Place: Uncle Nearest 1820 Single Barrel US-28
Best Virginia Whiskey
1st Place: Bowman Brothers Small Batch (88.8 pts)
2nd Place: Isaac Bowman Port Finished (88.3 pts)
3rd Place: John J. Bowman Single Barrel
JAPAN
Best Japanese Whisky
1st Place: The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old (91.3 pts)
2nd Place: Kaiyō Whisky The Sheri (90.5 pts)
3rd Place: Kaiyō Whisky The Peated (90.4 pts)
Best Japanese Whisky NAS (No Age Statement)
1st Place: Kaiyō Whisky The Sheri (90.5 pts)
2nd Place: Kaiyō Whisky The Peated (90.4 pts)
3rd Place: The Matsui Mizunara Cask (90.2 pts)
Best Blended Japanese Whisky
1st Place: The Matsui Tottori (90.1 pts)
2nd Place: The San-in Bourbon (88.5 pts)
3rd Place: The San-in (86.5 pts)
Best Pure Malt Japanese Whisky
1st Place: The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old (91.3 pts)
2nd Place: Kaiyō Whisky The Peated (90.4 pts)
3rd Place: The Kurayoshi 18 Year Old (90.3 pts)
Best Japanese Whisky 12 Year Old
1st Place: The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old (91.3 pts)
Best Japanese Whisky 18 Year Old
1st Place: The Kurayoshi 18 Year Old (90.3 pts)
CANADA
Best Canadian Whisky
1st Place: Royal Canadian Small Batch (85.7 pts)
2nd Place: High River
3rd Place: Caribou Crossing Single Barrel
ENGLAND
Best English Whisky
1st Place: Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt (91.1 pts)
2nd Place: Cotswolds Founder’s Choice Single Malt (87.2 pts)
3rd Place: Cotswolds Single Malt (87.1 pts)
IRELAND
Best Irish Whiskey
1st Place: Matt D’Arcy & Co. Ltd. 17 Year Old Rum Finished Single Malt (89.1 pts)
2nd Place: Paddy
3rd Place: Kinahan’s Single Malt Irish
Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey
1st Place: Matt D’Arcy & Co. Ltd. 17 Year Old Rum Finished Single Malt (89.1 pts)
2nd Place: Kinahan’s Single Malt Irish
Best Blended Irish Whiskey
1st Place: Paddy
2nd Place: Matt D’Arcy & Co. Ltd. 10 Year Old Port Finished Blended
WORLD
Best World Whisky*
1st Place: Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt (91.1 pts)
2nd Place: Cotswolds Founder’s Choice Single Malt (87.2 pts)
3rd Place: Cotswolds Single Malt (87.1 pts)
* 7 countries represented in this category in 2020.
2019 Whiskies Scoring Over 90 Points at the 2020 International Whisky Competition
1. Dewar’s Double Double 32 Year Old (96.4 pts)
2. Ardbeg Corryvreckan (96.1 pts)
3. Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Edition (94.2 pts)
4. Ardbeg Blaaack (94.2 pts)
5. Ardbeg Supernova (93.5 pts)
6. Ardbeg Uigeadail (93.1 pts)
7. Eagle Rare 10 Year Old (93.0 pts)
8. Dewar’s Double Double 27 Year Old (92.9 pts)
9. 1792 12 Year Old (92.9 pts)
10. Dewar’s 25 The Signature (92.8 pts)
11. Kilchoman Machir Bay (92.7 pts)
12. Ardbeg Wee Beastie (92.6 pts)
13. The Glenlivet 18 Year Old (92.6 pts)
14. Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1996 (92.4 pts)
15. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old (92.2 pts)
16. Kilchoman Sanaig (92.1 pts)
17. 1792 Bottled in Bond (92.0 pts)
18. Ardbeg An Oa (92.0 pts)
19. [Requested Not to Be Disclosed] (92.0 pts)
20. Dewar’s Double Double 21 Year Old (91.9 pts)
21. Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old (91.8 pts)
22. Kilchoman Loch Gorm (91.8 pts)
23. Glenmorangie 18 Year Old (91.7 pts)
24. Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch (91.6 pts)
25. Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1995 (91.4 pts)
26. Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Old (91.4 pts)
27. The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old (91.3 pts)
28. Glenmorangie 19 Year Old (91.2 pts)
29. 1792 Full Proof (91.2 pts)
30. Weller 12 Year Old (91.1)
31. Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt Whisky (91.1 pts)
32. Weller Antique (91.0 pts)
33. [Requested Not to Be Disclosed] (91.0 pts)
34. Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium (90.9 pts)
35. Old Hamer Straight Bourbon Cask Strength (90.9 pts)
36. [Requested Not to Be Disclosed] (90.6 pts)
37. Kaiyō Whisky The Sheri (90.5 pts)
38. Weller C.Y.P.B. (90.5 pts)
39. Kaiyō Whisky The Peated (90.4 pts)
40. Dewar’s 12 The Ancestor (90.4 pts)
41. Glenmorangie The Accord (90.4 pts)
42. 1792 Single Barrel (90.3 pts)
43. The Kurayoshi 18 Year Old (90.3 pts)
44. The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve (90.2 pts)
45. The Matsui Mizunara Cask (90.2 pts)
46. The Matsui Tottori (90.1 pts)
47. The Kurayoshi Sherry Cask (90.1 pts)
48. Aberlour A’Bunadh (90.1 pts)
49. Remus Repeal Reserve Series III (90.1 pts)
50. Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon (90.1 pts)
51. The Kurayoshi 8 Year Old (90.0 pts)
52. Edradour 10 Year Old (90.0 pts)
53. Kilchoman Single Farm Single Malt (90.0 pts)
That’s a wrap for the 2020 International Whisky Competition, we can’t wait for next year.