Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky and World Whiskies Awards 2024
Scotland results announced at Edinburgh ceremony The Icons of Whisky and World Whiskies Awards returned to Edinburgh for their regional Scotland legs, along with the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame inductions of Jackie Thomson and Tim Morrison.The Scotch whisky industry gathered for an evening of celebration as winners were announced in both the
Icons of Whisky and
World Whiskies Awards Scotland 2024.
On Thursday 7 December, many of the most recognisable names in the industry gathered at The Signet Library, from master distillers to master blenders, brand ambassadors and communicators. In the
Icons of Whisky, the title of Distiller of the Year was awarded to Diageo, while Stephen Woodcock of Glen Moray Distillery took home the prize of Master Distiller/Master Blender of the Year. There was a great variety to the night’s winners, proving what a range of incredible talent
currently operates in the Scotch whisky world.
The event also saw the announcement of the Round 1 Category Winners for Scotland in the
World Whiskies Awards 2024, and the unveiling of two new Scottish inductees to the
Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame: Jackie Thomson from Ardbeg and Tim Morrison from A.D. Rattray and Morrison Glasgow Distillers.
A number of awards were sponsored by some of the industry’s biggest names, with representatives of these sponsors in attendance and on-hand to help with presentation. They included:
Brindiamo Group,
Glencairn Crystal,
Larkfire,
McLaren Packaging,
Oakbank Products and
Reflex Label Plus. The Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame is sponsored by
Amorim Top Series.
This year’s awards are particularly special as
Whisky Magazine celebrates its 25-year anniversary, and the regional Scotland leg followed the Icons of Whisky regional Ireland leg, which took place at Dublin’s Iveagh Garden Hotel on 23 November.
Run by the team at
Whisky Magazine, the
Icons of Whisky awards aim to celebrate the best and brightest people and places in the sector – not just the distilleries and the teams that work in them, but also the individuals and businesses that work to support and promote them and their products.
Bethany Brown, editor of
Whisky Magazine and chair of judges for the
Icons of Whisky, commented: “
The Whisky Magazine Awards is an opportunity for us to review the successes of the Scotch whisky industry over the past year, and the strong crop of entries to both the
Icons of Whisky and
World Whiskies Awards shows that producers are continuing to push themselves and their whiskies to new heights, in spite of ongoing challenges in the global marketplace. The awards also serve as a bellwether, highlighting movements or trends in the industry – in Scotland, the ever-more innovative methods being adopted to achieve sustainable production and distillers’ experiments with grain whisky could prove particularly interesting areas to watch.”
Christopher Coates, editor-at-large of
Whisky Magazine, said: “Despite the challenge posed by the slow-down of the global economy, the Scotch whisky industry remains robust. We’re seeing continued development in areas such as sustainability and visitor experience, both of which demonstrate the industry’s long-term vision for the category. The sophistication of ultra-high-end releases has particularly impressed us, with distillers pushing boundaries in terms of liquid innovation and presentation, which now rivals the best global luxury brands in fashion and jewellery. The commitment to excellence demonstrated by our winners this year is clear for all to see, and I’m certain the Scotch whisky industry will continue to thrive in 2024.”
Anita Ujszaszi, awards director, added: “The Scotch whisky industry continues to be thriving and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to recognise these industry giants and to have welcomed them to celebrate the awards. I also want to thank our expert team of committed judges, without who these awards wouldn’t be possible.”
To see the full list of winners, please click
here.