William Grant & Sons have won a number of top awards at the 2017 International Spirits Challenge, one of the most respected and influential spirits competitions in the world.
The independent, family-owned distillers picked up awards including Distiller of the Year for Glenfiddich’s contribution to the Single Malt Scotch Whisky category; Master Distiller of the Year to Brian Kinsman (pictured above), and Scotch Producer of the Year and Best in Class in Single Malt to The Balvenie and Glenfiddich.
The Distiller of the Year award is the highest honour bestowed by the International Spirits Challenge, and has now been won by William Grant & Sons an unprecedented six times – including last year.
Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Grant’s, Monkey Shoulder and Tullamore D.E.W were also awarded gold medals by the ISC.
Master Distiller for Glenfiddich, Brian Kinsman, celebrated his medal for work on leading brands including Glenfiddich – which was presented with a whopping 17 medals this year across the ISC awards.
The Master Distiller of the Year award recognizes the craftsmanship, skill and talent of a master distiller’s work for the past twelve months. This year, Kinsman developed the Glenfiddich Experimental series with the purpose of pushing traditional whisky boundaries and collaborating with trailblazers from the whisky world and beyond.
“It is a great honour to receive this award,” said Kinsman. “The team and I work hard to maintain the spirit quality and character of our liquid, while pushing the boundaries and bringing new innovations to life.
“I love what I do and to get this recognition from the ISC is just brilliant.”
Jacqueline Nalder, Marketing Manager for Scotch whisky at William Grant & Sons Australia says, “We are truly honoured. These awards affirm our expertise in Scotch whisky and our passion for innovation and excellence in distilling. The team will be celebrating with a dram, that’s for sure”.
Now in its 22nd year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe. It is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits, designs and campaigns entered into the campaign each year.
