In August, I began profiling the Platinum medal-winning single malt scotch whiskies from this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition. As so many incredible scotches were entered and subsequently won a Platinum medal, I couldn’t possibly talk about them all in one article.
So, this week I am continuing my rundown of the best single malt scotch whiskies according to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. If you have not read part one, you can do so here. For more award-winning whiskies, visit our Best Whiskies page.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is held annually. The 2024 competition took place in April this year and saw thousands of entries across multiple categories.
Expert judges, chosen by The Tasting Alliance, carefully taste, re-taste, and score each spirit, with medals being given out accordingly.
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In 2024, there were 84 Platinum medal-winning spirits. 16 of those were single malt scotch whiskies.
Benriach The Twenty One
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Berry fruit, orchard apple, wild honey, mountain oak spice, candied grape, rich cocoa, smoked pine nut, caramelised pear, honey smoke
BUY NOW: $177
In my last article about the Platinum medal-winning single malt scotches from the 2024 SFWSC, I wrote about the Benriach Thirty and the Twenty Five. Well, as it turns out, Benriach won three Platinum medals this year at the SFWSC, with another being awarded to Benriach The Twenty One.
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Benriach The Twenty One was distilled from a combination of peated and unpeated barley. The resulting spirit was matured in a combination of four different casks: bourbon barrels, sherry casks, virgin oak casks, and Bordeaux wine casks. Whisky from each cask type was expertly blended by Master Blender, Rachel Barrie.
Speaking about Benriach The Twenty One, Rachel described “A beautiful reflection of the landscape around Benriach. A real sense of mountain oak spice, fruit, creamy malt and elegant layers of smoke.”
As mentioned previously, Benriach Distillery has been part of Brown-Forman since 2016 and now sits alongside The Glendronach and Glenglassaugh in the parent company’s portfolio.
Benromach 15 Year Old
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Sweet toffee, black pepper, peat smoke, forest fruits, dark chocolate, dried banana, ripe apples, charred oak, toasted malt, orange peel
BUY NOW: $86
The Benromach 15 Year Old is a beloved expression in the brand’s core range. Distillery Manager, Keith Cruickshank, said: “Only ever matured in the highest quality oak casks, our FIFTEEN YEAR OLD single malt whisky gives cracked pepper, charred oak, apples, dark chocolate and forest fruits with rich sherry notes and a touch of smoke.”
The expression is aged for 15 years in a combination of first-fill bourbon and ex-sherry casks before being bottled at 43% ABV.
Benromach Distillery is owned by legendary independent bottler, Gordon & Macphail, and is located in Forres, Speyside. It was acquired by the firm in 1993 and saved from the brink of extinction after the previous owners, United Distillers, had stripped many parts from the distillery.
Today, Benromach is still rather underrated. However, Speyside whisky fans have developed an appreciation for the weighty spirit that is produced by a few extra years in the cask.
Glen Scotia Victoriana Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Crème brûlée, melted sugars, caramelised fruits, oak, roasted sugars, blackcurrants, spice, cocoa, dark chocolate, dark fruits
BUY NOW: $90
Glen Scotia Victoriana is a special whisky that pays tribute to the traditional, Victorian-style whisky that was distilled in Campbeltown in the 1880s.
When Alfred Barnard visited Campbeltown in 1885, he found it bustling with activity and over 20 working distilleries. Now, only three remain: Glen Scotia, Springbank, and Glengyle. The Glen Scotia Victoriana celebrates Campbeltown’s whisky distilling roots, giving a nod to the former ‘Whisky Capital of the World’.
The whisky itself was matured in a combination of first and second-fill bourbon barrels, before being finished in both Pedro Ximenez and heavily charred oak casks to imbue the whisky with richer and more complex flavors.
Bottled at 54.2%, Glen Scotia Victoriana is available worldwide.
Highland Park 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Cloudy honey, crème brûlée, crumbled cinnamon, apricot compote, crushed almonds, lime zest, smoked lemons, sweet violets, delicate Orcadian peat smoke
BUY NOW: $321 (2023 release)
Highland Park Distillery, located on Orkney, is famed for its use of gentle Orcadian peat that produces notes of honey and heather. The Highland Park 21 Year Old is no exception to this rule.
This year’s release was crafted from just 48 casks, all laid down in 2001 and 2002:
- 25 first-fill, sherry-seasoned American oak quarter casks
- 15 refill butts
- 8 first-fill sherry-seasoned European oak hogsheads
Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion, carefully selected and blended the casks to create the perfect expression, which was bottled at 46% ABV. The Highland Park website describes that expression as “satisfyingly rich and intriguingly complex.”
Having won numerous accolades including ‘Best Spirits in the World’ at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and ‘Distiller of the Year’ at the 2017 IWSC, it is no surprise that the whisky continues to scoop medals in spirits competitions.
Old Pulteney 12 Year Old
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Briny sea air, toffee, honey, vanilla, spicy fruit
BUY NOW: $36
The Old Pulteney 12 Year Old is a long-standing core expression in the distillery’s range.
The whisky is matured “wholly in air-dried, hand-selected ex-bourbon casks”. Due to the distillery’s location on the northeast tip of Scotland, in the town of Wick, the whisky is imbued with the distinctive flavors of salty sea air. It is this distinctly maritime nature that sets Old Pulteney apart from many other Highland single malt scotches. Its tagline is ‘The Maritime Malt’, after all.
The Old Pulteney 12 Year Old was first introduced to the range in 1997, following the distillery’s purchase by Inver House Distillers. The expression remains a fan favorite today.
The Glendronach Parliament 21 Year Old
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: No official tasting notes available
BUY NOW: $237
The Glendronach Parliament 21 Year Old is the oldest core range expression from the brand (although, it does not currently appear anywhere on The Glendronach’s website). Matured in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez ex-Sherry casks from Spain, the Parliament stays true to The Glendronach’s traditional sherried style.
Contrary to popular belief, The Glendronach Parliament 21 Year Old has nothing to do with politics and is not named after the House of Parliament in London. Instead, the name refers to the collective term for rooks. A parliament of rooks has nested in the trees overlooking The Glendronach for almost 200 years. So noticeable is their presence that an expression was named after them. I will be tucking this fact away in my brain ready for a pub quiz!
It seems as if there might be a break in production of the 21 Year Old at the moment, probably to allow whisky distilled following the distillery’s reopening in 2002 to reach full maturity before it is bottled as part of the 21 year old expression.
No word from Brown-Forman yet on when it might return with the updated Glendronach packaging. If I hear anything, I shall let you know.
You can read a full guide to The Glendronach Parliament 21 Year Old here.
Tomatin 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Medal: Platinum
Tasting Notes: Dried apricot, nougat, nuts, tropical fruit
BUY NOW: $125
Last but certainly not least, we have the Tomatin 18 Year Old. The Highland whisky is initially aged in traditional oak casks before being finished in Oloroso sherry butts.
Tomatin Distillery is no stranger to sherry cask maturation. In fact, the recent unveiling of the Tomatin Sherry Collection showcases a number of different cask finishes including Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximénez, and Manzanilla sherry.
Tomatin’s Blender and Global Brand Ambassador recently revealed the secrets behind sherry cask maturation and its use at Tomatin. Read Scott Adamson’s article here.
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