Redbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has won the World Whisky Trophy at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC).
The competition awarded Redbreast 12 Year Old an impressive 98 points, narrowly beating world whisky competitors from Australia, South Africa, Denmark, India, Taiwan and Switzerland, among many others.
The judges said: “It starts with a gorgeous nose, a fantastic composition of aromas all complementing each other. Think of roasted coffee, toffee apples, malt and warm Christmas spices. The palate is bold but very elegant with a nice balance and all in order to a great finale with dried fruits, candied oranges and sweet spices.”
Billy Leighton, Redbreast Master Blender at Midleton Distillery, said: “We are thrilled to see more fantastic results at such a prestigious global spirits tasting competition.
“It is great to see the Redbreast range flourish as it continues to excite consumers with its exemplary single pot still Irish whiskey style. These awards are truly a testament to the craftsmen at Midleton Distillery who assist me in blending the finest Irish whiskeys in the world, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds!”
Redbreast is the world’s best-selling Irish single pot still whiskey and is owned by Irish Distillers/Pernod Ricard.
Global sales of Irish whiskey have soared by more than 300% in the past decade, according to the Irish Department for International Trade.
Triumph for Archie Rose at IWSC
Archie Rose Distilling Co was the highest scoring Aussie distiller in the World Whisky category at the IWSC, taking out a Gold Outstanding for its Rye Malt Whisky.
The judges described it as: “A beautifully complex and well structured whisky. Honey and vanilla run through all of the other layers, including a fruity christmas cake with accompanying marzipan, an obvious and glorious spicy and peppery, aromatic rye note with a fabulous, long and elegant finish to boot.”
Archie Rose released its first two whiskies in June this year. A limited-edition Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky was launched on June 27, followed by the release of its first core range Rye Malt Whisky from August 1.
Using selectively sourced rare malted rye and the finest malted barley from progressive malt houses, paired with virgin American oak casks air-dried for 36 months and matured in the maritime air of coastal Sydney, it showcases Archie Rose’s focus on malt, and approach to working with rye, being a far more difficult malt to process than barley.
“Our vision for whisky has always been to speak of our experience as Australians, utilise the incredible raw materials available to us, and strive for genuine innovation in what is typically an extremely traditional industry” said Archie Rose founder Will Edwards.
“We have crafted a distinct, charming and flavoursome spirit which showcases the quality of its components, being unique malted rye, local malted barley and incredible, painstakingly 36-month air-dried oak, as well as the innovative production methods we employ in the distillery.”
The distillery noted that it was passionate about malt being the fundamental building block to its whiskies. Backed by its conviction that whisky starts life in the field rather than the distillery, Archie Rose is working with Australian growers to support this ethos.
“We’re working with growers in Griffith, NSW to revive heritage rye and barley strains and together creating malt crop volume and diversity to support our own products and the future growth of the Australian whisky industry,” said Archie Rose Master Distiller, Dave Withers. “Our overall goal is to source all of our seven varieties of malt from NSW, which would be a pretty special result, and one we will be incredibly proud of.
“A successful brew, fermentation, distillation or maturation is only as good as the malt you start with. We want to put malt back onto the agenda.”
Edwards added: “We’ve spent an enormous amount of time in research and development, looking at how we can create a rich and engaging, complex yet approachable whisky, and we believe we’ve made something really special.”
