The year’s best scotches have been named, according to the expert judges at the Scotch Whisky Masters. The competition was held last month, and the results have just been announced. They highlight the best options from categories including blended, blended malt, single grain, and single malt. Each category is further divided into aged periods, so there should be something to the taste of every scotch drinker.
The Spirits Business presented the competition, inviting panels of judges to make blind judgments of a variety of scotches at an event in Boisdale in London’s Canary Wharf. Judges came from backgrounds as drinks writers, bar managers, whisky writers, and specialist spirits judges, and they awarded medals for silver, gold, and master scotches in each category.
The medal winners span the range of scotches, from a gold medal for the super-premium Fires the Imagination to a silver medal for the very affordable Glen Marnoch Islay Single Malt. As you would expect from a scotch competition, the flavors were big and smokey.
“There was a great range of styles of smoky whisky,” said Vicky Ilankovan, editor-in-chief of Sated Online and executive director of Equal Measures. “There is something for everyone, from light and delicate to big and meaty.”
The final decision was between the master medal winners in all the categories for the big prize of Scotch Whisky Taste Master 2024. The very best of the day, according to the judges, was The Single Cask Mortlach #255 First-Fill Oloroso Quarter Cask by The Single Cask.
Full of a full list of medal winners in every category and to get some inspiration for new scotches to check out, you can head over to The Spirits Business’s website.
