What a year it’s been – and what a conclusion! As The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s year of 35th anniversary celebrations draws to a close, we have retained our title as Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.
The Society also won the regional awards for Independent Bottler of the Year for Campbeltown, Lowland, Grain, Irish and Japanese whiskies. And that’s not all – we also won the overall award for Bar Group of the Year, and 28 Queen Street was highly commended in the Whisky Bar of the Year category.
“This is a fantastic accolade for the Society as a whole, for the quality of our single cask, single malts, and the consistently high standards we set,” said Kai Ivalo, spirits director at the SMWS. “It’s also worth noting that we’ve now won the IBC Independent Bottler of the Yearaward for six of the past nine years.”
Euan Campbell, spirits manager at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, with the Independent Bottler of the Year award.
This final accolade as Independent Bottler of the Year for 2018 concludes the Society’s most successful year of awards, with the ‘Best in Show’ award among our wins in the Luxury Masters competition, 11 awards in the International Wine and Spirits Competition, 12 awards in the Scotch Whisky Masters, and an unprecedented seven double-gold medals out of our seven total whiskies submitted at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Access to the Society’s award-winning whiskies is just one reason why we’re the world’s leading whisky club – it’s also a place where whisky lovers can come together to share their passion for single cask, single malt.
To find out more and to join the SMWS, visit www.smws.com/whisky-club-membership
THE WINNING BOTTLES
CAMPBELTOWN
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 93.97: Full metal hospital
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 93.81: Maple peat-smoked bacon doughnut
13 to 20 Years: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 93.95: Tails of the seas
21 Years & Over: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 93.78: Like a vintage dessert wine
21 Years & Over: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 27.111: A coal bucket of marshmallows
LOWLAND
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 136.2: Paradise in a paradis
13 to 20 Years: Silver gold medal
Cask No. 5.69: Triple Whammy!
21 Years & Over: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 50.101: Tantric meditation
21 Years & Over: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 50.96: A day trip to heaven
21 Years & Over: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 50.99: Sheer perfection
JAPANESE
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 130.3: Bamboo wood and cherry
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 130.2: Tropical Thunder
GRAIN
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
Cask No. G15.4: Thermonucleur banana
21 Years & Over: Silver medal winner
Cask No. G10.16: Touched by Midas
21 Years & Over: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. G14.5
IRISH
Winner, Independent Bottler of the Year
13 to 20 Years: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 51.5: Inside a confectioner’s dreams
13 to 20 Years: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 51.9: Sinful indulgence
SPEYSIDE
12 Years & Under: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 2.106: Devilishly opulent
13 to 20 Years: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 39.151: A Blue Lady and a Seraph’s smile
21 Years & Over: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 9.135: Timeless allure
21 Years & Over: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 7.185: Sweet, smooth s’more
NON-SCOTCH
12 Years & Under: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 137.1: An English country Mordor
12 Years & Under: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 134.4: Struts its stuff
12 Years & Under: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 137.2: War seahorse
HIGHLANDS
12 Years & Under: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 68.16: Pleasingly precocious
13 to 20 Years: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 52.21: Tropical breezes fill the sails
ISLANDS (NON-ISLAY)
13 to 20 Years: Silver medal winner
Cask No. 4.238: Surrender your soul
21 Years & Over: Gold medal winner
Cask No. 4.239: High sea rebellion
ISLAY
12 Years & Under: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 53.243: A fisherman’s nightcap
13 to 20 Years: Bronze medal winner
Cask No. 29.241: A perfect moment
Cask No. 29.210: A chimney sweep’s lunch box
21 Years & Over: Bronze meal winner
Cask No. 3.305: The scents of perfection