Whisky in the Spotlight at the World Whisky Masters 2024
Last month the world whisky industry came under evaluation once again. Every year, distillers from across the globe vie for top places in the single malt sector. This year, the latest iteration of the World Whisky Masters competition was held at Stereo in London’s Covent Garden in July.
To crown the winners, seven panels of judges gathered for the 2024 blind-tasting competition. Notably, the first panel consisted of Ian Wisniewski, Julia Nourney, and David T Smith, who chaired the group.
A second panel was moderated by Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business. She is also chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions. She was joined by Herchelle Perez Terrado, Will Meredith, and Joe Wadsack.
Whiskies Blind Tested at World Whisky Masters 2024
A flight of European blended whiskies kicked off the competition, with two masters being awarded. The first went to Bellevoye Rouge, while Bellevoye Prune took home a master. The French whiskies were produced by Les Bienheureux.
According to The Spirit Business, Spain’s DYC won a gold award but the European single malts grabbed a total of ten more golds.
A Gold and two Silvers followed, with Gold-winning DYC 8 from Spain described as having “nice smoke alongside a fruity, good finish and nice oiliness”.
European single malts were put to the test next with 10 Golds and eight Silvers discovered. Among the Gold winners were two from Swedish whisky brand Agitator, for its Chestnut Cask and The Swedish Malt. The former was praised for having an “aromatic nose, some rich smoky notes, smoked peaches and apples alongside wood smoke and cooking spices”.
However, one of the biggest winners of the night seems to have been the Welsh distillery Penderyn. The winner came away with two Golds, including one for its Penderyn Rich Oak, described as “light and vibrant on the palate, sweet and fresh”. You can read the complete results here.