Diageo wins the Golden Barrel Trophy for the Whisky of the Year 2015
Jim Beveridge, Master Blender at Diageo, and his team receiving the Golden Barrel Trophy during a special award ceremony held at Diageo Archive.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND (July 23 2015) — Held annually in Chicago since 2010, the International Whisky Competition awarded the title Whisky of the Year to John Walker & Sons King George V who scored an impressive 97 Points during the blind tasting competition last spring. With this highest award comes the Golden Barrel Trophy symbolizing the mark of excellence in whisky making.
A ceremony was held last week at Diageo Archive in Menstrie, Scotland to present the trophy to the winning blending team responsible for creating John Walker & Sons King George V. The team is led by Jim Beveridge, master blender at Diageo, who was also awarded the title Master Blender of the Year by the International Whisky Competition.
This is the first year that a blended whisky scored higher than a single malt for the top position and shows that a complex marriage of grain and malt whiskies can produce a whisky of exceptional quality. As one of the judges wrote in his notes after blind tasting John Walker & Sons King George V: “This whisky has everything that makes a complex, beautiful, majestic dram featuring all the components of perfection.”
About the Golden Barrel Trophy
Designed in Switzerland and unveiled at Diageo Archive, the Golden Barrel Trophy represents the pinnacle of excellence in whisky making, showcasing two lions holding a whisky barrel. It is casted in bronze with 24K golden leaves on each side of the barrel. The Golden Barrel will be kept by the winner of the Whisky of the Year until next year’s competition and the name of each winner will be engraved in its marble base to commemorate the history of each annual Whisky of the Year. Basically, the Golden Barrel is to whisky what the World Cup is to football.
About the the International Whisky Competition™
The International Whisky Competition brings whiskies from around the world together to be tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel. Unlike other competitions, the judges on its tasting panel are presented with one whisky at a time, to ensure each whisky gets the proper attention. In-depth notes are taken at every step for review ultimately to be compiled by the tasting panel. It’s the only such competition in the spirits world to deliver unique medals designed to promote each of the winning whiskies. Only 3 medals (Gold, Silver & Bronze) are awarded per category. Just like in the Olympics, not everyone can be a winner.
For more information about the International Whisky Competition results, please visit whiskycompetition.com or contact Sylvain Allard, Managing Director, at s.allard@whiskycompetition.com