Each year in the spring, wine and spirits brands hold their breath, waiting for results from a variety of competitions, hosted by judges and panels across the globe. Each competition aims to accomplish something unique to the philosophy of the panel, often aimed at highlighting some of the best drinks in the industry whether it be wine, RTDs, gins, or whiskies. The International Whisky Competition (IWC) has a long track record of judging only whiskies, from any country, going back to its inception in 2010.
The primary philosophy of the IWC: assign only three medals per category, highlighting only the very best spirits in each category. Dubbed “The Olympics of whisky competitions” by Master Distiller Jim McEwan, and quoted on their website, the IWC’s main focus is to elevate the greatest spirits entered that year, and assign a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal per category.
With the results of this year’s competition set to be announced on June 18th, let’s take a look inside the inner workings of the IWC. This is the ultimate guide to the 2024 International Whisky Competition.
The Judges
Judging panels consist of highly experienced tasters of the world of whiskey, wine, and beer alike. Judges are hand-picked in their tasting aptitude and are individuals with professional sensory training.
Sébastien Gavillet, head of tasting remarks: “By employing a panel of seasoned whisky tasters, we’ve ensured that the standard deviation in scores is typically less than 2 points. This approach not only mirrors the rigorous standards seen in the wine industry but is also meticulously tailored to the unique complexities of whisky”.
Pulling back the curtain, the process of judging at the IWC follows a double-blind experience with the judges, the staff preparing the samples, and the head taster in the dark as to what is being judged at any given time. During the course of judging, entire categories are judged all the way through in succession.
All bourbons are judged against each other in the same session, as goes with peated scotches, international single malts, etc. At any given moment categories are never announced as to what is being tasted. Judges simply assess the quality of the whisky that has been handed to them.
This year, in 2024, the number of entries grew such that two panels were split up, judging similar categories among the tables. Much of the judging is done in silence, and each judge is encouraged to judge the spirit as they see fit with no guidance on scoring high or low.
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Scoring The Whiskies
Judges use a tasting sheet with each pour, designed over many years by Sébastien and his team. The tasting sheet focuses on each aspect of a whisky, such as sight, nose complexity, aroma intensity, balance, palate complexity, alcohol, balance, and finish quality.
With each of these categories being judged on an individual basis, a true, complete score is then calculated out of 100 and balanced among the panel. Judging this way can be enlightening to myself as a judge, and to producers and consumers alike.
Weaknesses and strengths are easily discerned and highlighted in the final scoring sheet. Oftentimes, spirits will present with a strong nose, and fail to deliver on flavor balance, or come up short on finish quality, while others present absolutely stellar across the board, and receive high marks.
“There has never been a universally accepted tasting format for whisky, which is why I felt compelled to pioneer one for the whisky community. It’s not enough to declare a whisky is worth 92 points simply because it pleases your palate or resonates with your personal preferences. We require a precise and technical rationale for that score, and this is exactly what the IWC tasting sheet delivers,” Sébastien comments.
Awards Categories at the International Whisky Competition
Categories are split up much like any other competition. Categories are clustered in their legally classified, and similarly aged groups; best single malt scotch 10 years, 12 years, 18 years, 25 years or over, etc. Categories such as best peated scotch, Speyside, and blended are also grouped and awarded individually.
On the American side, best bourbon, rye, small batch, and single malt are awarded per category with individual states awarded and recognized as well. This type of categorization allows producers to gain recognition against their most similarly produced products. All within their respective umbrella, the top awards such as ‘Best American Whisky’, ‘Best Single Malt Scotch’, and ‘Best Irish Whisky’, etc are declared, with the top award, ‘Whisky of the Year’ being the highest scoring product across every entry, earning the ‘Golden Barrel trophy’
The Impact on the World of Whisky
Given the system of awarding medals and therefore recognition, the IWC typically attracts and judges a specific subset of global whiskies. Many companies enter some of their highest-end bottlings such as the BTAC line from Buffalo Trace, Gordon & MacPhail bottlings, extra aged Irish, and individually numbered bottles, with honey barrels allowed to enter and be scored among the single barrel category.
The goal of the competition is to simply find the best whisky in the world and acknowledge it, regardless of how attainable the bottling is.
The Future of the International Whisky Competition
Speaking firsthand, the samples we tasted and scored were very strong representations of the producers who entered them. Producers and distillers are more keenly aware of their image and are striving for recognition.
With the whisky market navigating a transformation and a shift towards brand premiumization, I expect to see the top-end bottlings continue to garner higher and higher scores with better products and better more attainable bottlings. This will likely manifest itself in the changing of the landscape regarding age statements and barrel finishings, as we’re seeing with the new 10 year Knob Creek rye, and the explosive new world of American single malts, and barrel-finished bourbons.
The IWC will continue to fairly judge all entered whiskies and recognize the best. Growth has been steady and additional judges will likely be tapped from other highly trained individuals to accommodate the added tastings.
The International Whisky Competition Results 2024
The IWC attracts some of the most valuable bottles of whisky in the world to be judged on an individual basis within it’s respective category. The Judges are among the best of the best and award only the top bottlings. The growth of the spirits industry both in volume and following indicates that a bright future is ahead for the whisky industry. Consumers are bound to have higher quality whisky to taste at an achievable price, and the IWC is there to help them navigate their next purchase.
Results for the 2024 IWC are expected to be released on June 18th, 2024, and I believe some surprising names will be announced as winners! Keep an eye on the Awards Series for up-to-date announcements.
Check out some of last year’s winners here.
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