In 2025, the International Spirits Challenge celebrated its anniversary. In its 30th year, the competition handed out eight Double Gold medals to worthy Scotch whiskies.
Originating from all corners of Scotland, and showcasing a range of maturation, distillation, and blending techniques, these medal winners impressed the International Spirits Challenge judges in blind tastings.
Together, they offer a snapshot of where Scotch stands today. Confident, diverse, and shaped as much by careful production choices as by heritage. Below, we look beyond the medals to explore how each whisky is made, who makes it, and what sets each release apart
Aberfeldy 16 Year Old
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Honey, fresh citrus, spicy cloves, dark chocolate, sherry
Find Your Next Bottle: $80
Aberfeldy 16 Year Old sits at the heart of the distillery’s modern single malt range. It is made at Aberfeldy Distillery, founded in 1898 and known for supplying malt for the Dewar’s blend. It has also established a well-rounded single malt range under Malt Master, Stephanie Macleod.
The 16 Year Old is matured in first-fill, refill, and re-charred bourbon casks. It then receives a 6-month finishing period in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. This final stage adds depth without overwhelming the distillery character. It is bottled at 40% ABV, making it wonderfully approachable.
Aberfeldy 16 is a permanent core release, reflecting the brand’s push to be taken seriously as a single malt, not just a blending component. Availability is strong in both the UK and the US.
A’Glac Charrann 27 Year Old
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts 21 years old and over – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Ripe pear, honey, vanilla custard, cherry jam, red apple, blackcurrants, orange chocolate, hazelnut, lemon drizzle
Find Your Next Bottle: $849
A’Glac Charran is not a distillery name most drinkers recognize. That is because it isn’t a distillery at all. In fact, the whisky comes from the long-closed Imperial Distillery, bottled under an alias by Chivas Brothers as part of its Secret Speyside program.
Imperial was built in 1897 and closed in 1998, making the remaining stocks finite. This single malt was distilled during the distillery’s final decades and matured for 27 years in oak casks, with ex-bourbon wood believed to form the backbone of its aging. It is bottled at natural cask strength, just under 50% ABV.
The release was selected by Chivas Brothers Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and issued in limited quantities. It is not part of any core range. Availability in the UK has been highly selective, with very limited exposure in the US.
Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K 23 Year Old
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Islay Single Malts 21 years old and over – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Herbal, smoke, lemon balsam, linseed oil, candied walnuts, creosote, sherbet, aniseed, toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar, coffee, bitter orange, antiseptic lozenges
Find Your Next Bottle: $790
Availability was always going to be tight with this whisky. Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K was released in small numbers, with limited allocations to both the UK and the US. Once those bottles were gone, there was no second run planned.
The reason for the release sits firmly in Ardbeg’s history. The whisky was distilled in 2000, during the early years following the distillery’s reopening after a prolonged shutdown. At the time, Ardbeg was rebuilding production and identity under new ownership. These casks captured that transition.
The spirit was distilled using the distillery’s older stills, which were replaced in 2001, making the whisky a technical snapshot as well as a historical one. It was filled into a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks and matured for 23 years.
Vintage_Y2K is positioned as a historical snapshot rather than a standard release, marking a turning point in Ardbeg’s modern story.
Balblair 15 Year Old
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Leatherwood honey, spicy gingerbread, prunes, lemon peel, dark chocolate, tropical fruit, vanilla
Find Your Next Bottle: $80
Balblair Distillery was founded in 1790 and operates on the northern edge of the Highlands, close to the Dornoch Firth. The distillery has long focused on spirit character created through fermentation length and careful cut points during distillation.
The 15 Year Old spends the majority of its maturation in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. It is then transferred into first-fill Spanish oak butts for a secondary maturation. This process adds weight and structure while maintaining the distillery’s fruit-forward style. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and is not chill-filtered.
Unlike some Double Gold winners, this is not a limited release. Balblair 15 is part of the distillery’s core range and is consistently available in both the UK and the US.
The whisky also reflects Balblair’s attitude to distillation, which involves using “intense esters” to build citrus, spice, and floral notes in the whiskies.
Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, citrus, caramelised brown sugar, baked apple, summer fruits, oak, toffee, wood spice, candied orange peel, toasted oak
Find Your Next Bottle: $48
Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve was created with a clear audience in mind. It was designed to appeal to bourbon drinkers without abandoning the distillery’s Speyside identity. That intent shapes every stage of its production.
The whisky is distilled at Glenfiddich Distillery and matured for 14 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. It is then finished in new, charred American oak, a step more common in bourbon than in Scotch. This finishing period adds structure and sweetness while retaining Glenfiddich’s clean, fruit-led spirit. The whisky is bottled at 43% ABV.
Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, oversees the release as part of the distillery’s broader experimentation with wood management. While long positioned as a US-focused expression, the whisky is also available through select retailers in the UK.
Royal Salute 30 Year Old Key to the Kingdom
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Scotch Blends 21 years old and over – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Juicy pears, blood, orange, honey, toasted oak, redcurrants, bonfire smoke, candied walnuts, peaches in syrup, ginger spice
Find Your Next Bottle: $660
Royal Salute 30 Year Old Key to the Kingdom sits within a house style defined by long aging and balance rather than power. Every whisky used in the blend has been matured for a minimum of 30 years.
The blend was created by Sandy Hyslop, Master Blender at Chivas Brothers. It draws on mature malt and grain stocks from across Scotland, assembled to highlight fruit, sweetness, and gentle smoke rather than any single regional character. The whisky is bottled at 40% ABV.
The release takes its name from the traditional Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. It was produced in limited quantities and released selectively. Small allocations reached the UK through specialist retailers, while availability in the US has been extremely limited.
Key to the Kingdom reinforces Royal Salute’s focus on age, blending skill, and long-term stock management.
Scapa 21 Year Old
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts 21 years old and over – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Apricot jam, fresh raspberries, ripe bananas, whipped cream, oak, nutmeg, peaches, mangoes, shortbread, cardamom, cinnamon
Find Your Next Bottle: $294
Scapa operates quietly, even by island standards. Located on Orkney, the distillery sits just outside Kirkwall and has long taken a different path from its better-known neighbor. Its focus is on unpeated or very lightly peated spirit, shaped by slow distillation and long fermentation.
The 21 Year Old reflects that patient approach. It is matured entirely in first-fill American oak barrels, with all aging taking place on Orkney. The whisky is bottled at natural strength, around 48% ABV, and is not chill-filtered. Rather than being a fixed core release, it is produced as a small annual batch, with each edition drawn from a limited number of casks.
Scapa is owned by Chivas Brothers, which has gradually expanded the distillery’s aged stock portfolio. Availability has been limited but achievable in the UK through specialist retailers. In the US, distribution has been far more sporadic.
The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve
Medal: Double Gold
Sub-Category: Single Malts between 13 and 20 years old – Distillers
Tasting Notes: Toffee, dark chocolate, ginger spiced biscuits, fruits, nuts, almond, cinnamon, mangoes
Find Your Next Bottle: $59
French oak is the reason this whisky exists. The Glenlivet introduced the 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve to explore how a different wood type could shape its famously clean Speyside spirit without changing the distillation style itself.
The whisky is produced at The Glenlivet Distillery, founded in 1824 and widely regarded as one of the defining names in single malt Scotch. After initial maturation in traditional oak casks, a portion of the whisky is finished in new French Limousin oak barrels. This oak is more porous than American oak and is more commonly associated with Cognac production.
The whisky is bottled at 40% ABV and sits firmly within The Glenlivet’s core range. It is widely available in both the UK and the US.
The Double Gold award underlines how small changes in wood policy can still deliver meaningful results at scale.
What These Double Gold Winners Show
Taken together, these eight whiskies reflect a confident moment for Scotch. Not defined by one style, one region, or one idea of quality. Instead, they highlight how thoughtful decisions around wood, aging, and release strategy continue to matter as much as heritage.
From long-closed distilleries to widely available core expressions, the International Spirits Challenge Double Gold winners for 2025 show that excellence in Scotch is still evolving.
