William Grant & Sons 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 the following top awards:
- Distiller of the Year: the highest honour bestowed by the ISC. The award recognises the impressive contribution that Glenfiddich has made to the Single Malt Scotch Whisky category.
- Malt Master Brian Kinsman was awarded the prestigious Master Distiller of the Year title.
- Scotch Producer of the Year and Best in Class in the Single Malt categories for The Balvenie and Glenfiddich.
- Gold medals for Glenfiddich, The Balevnie Grant’s, Monkey Shoulder and Tullamore D.E.W.
The Distiller of the Year award is the highest honour bestowed by the ISC, and has now been won by William Grant & Sons an unprecedented six times, including 2016.
It was a night of celebration for the business which saw Master Distiller for Glenfiddich, Brian Kinsman, named as Master Distiller of the Year. The Master Distiller won the medal for his work on leading brands including Glenfiddich, which has also been presented with 17 medals this year across the ISC awards.
Kinsman said, “It is a great honour to receive this award. 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.”
Simon Hunt, CEO of William Grant & Sons said, “On behalf of our business, I want to congratulate Brian on deservedly winning this impressive accolade, which recognises his contribution to fulfilling our founder, William Grant’s, vision of making the best dram in the valley.
“As a family run business we’re proud of taking a long term view and fostering a culture of innovation and these prestigious awards are testament to our approach and the quality of the liquid we create.”
Jacqueline Nalder, Marketing Manager for Scotch Whisky at William Grant & Sons Australia said, “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”.
