Whiskey fans looking for the best new releases should turn their attention to recent 2024 International Whisky Competition, which has just announced its results for this year.
The format of the competition is slightly different from some other competitions in that any whiskey distillery can enter, but only one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal are awarded per category. This year, the awards were held in Scotland and in Kentucky, two of the most prominent homes of whiskey.
The overall winner of the Whisky of the Year award was Aultmore Oloroso Sherry Cask 25 Years Old, which the judges described as “a stunning display of flavor complexity and integration.”
Tasting notes on this whisky certainly made it sound appealing, with Adam Edmonsond, Master of Whisky describing it as: “A gamut of orchard, citrus, tropical, and dried fruits beam with clarity between honied and sweet florals, ginger, butterscotch, and a leathery depth of maturity. The palate and finish more than fulfill the promises of the nose, gaining intensity at each stage. It has a luxuriously full, round body, and a controlled warmth. It was perfectly balanced along each dimension, and I would be hard-pressed to find something about it to improve.”
This is a travel retail exclusive though, so if you’re hoping to pick up a bottle and sample what a gold medal winning whiskey tastes like, then you’ll have to keep an eye out the next time you’re in the airport.
You can see the other winners in the other categories on the International Whisky Competition website.