The 2025 New York World Spirits Competition produced several standout Double Gold winners from outside the whisky powerhouses of Scotland and the United States.
These whiskies come from Ireland (the birthplace of whiskey), Canada, and India, and each impressed the judges with craftsmanship, character, and a strong sense of place. They were not part of a formal Rest of World category, but they sit naturally together as examples of how global whisky continues to evolve.
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So, let’s explore how each one is made and the stories behind the distilleries producing them.
Accord Stone Purpose & Provenance Irish Whiskey
Award: Double Gold, Best Blended Irish Whiskey
Tasting Notes: Sticky toffee pudding, maple syrup, honey, dark chocolate hazelnuts, cinnamon, cigar tobacco, bourbon-soaked apples
Find Your Next Bottle: $70
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Accord Stone’s debut release made an immediate impact at the competition. The whiskey is produced and matured in Dundalk in Ireland, although the brand itself is based in the United States. It is an ambitious blend built from well-aged components. Most of the liquid is twelve-year-old grain whiskey matured in Oloroso sherry casks, supported by two malt elements aged in sherry and ex-bourbon wood. Everything is double or triple distilled, then bottled at 50% ABV.
This approach gives the whiskey more depth than many mainstream Irish blends. It also signals that Accord Stone is positioning itself as a serious independent bottler that works with quality stocks rather than chasing volume. Winning Double Gold and Best Blended Irish Whiskey on its first outing suggests that this is a brand worth watching.
Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky
Award: Double Gold, Best Canadian Whisky
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, caramel, bread dough, baking spice, citrus
Find Your Next Bottle: $125
Caribou Crossing stands out because it applies the single barrel idea to a category that rarely uses it. The whisky is distilled and aged in Montreal, Canada, at a historic facility now owned by Sazerac. Once mature, the spirit is transported to Kentucky, where each barrel is assessed on its own merits before bottling. Only two batches are released each year, which gives the whisky a sense of scarcity as well as individuality.
Canadian whisky is known for its smoothness and lightness. Caribou Crossing keeps that character, but the single barrel version adds a certain complexity that sets it apart from larger blends. It is an impressive single barrel showing from a Canadian brand.
Midleton Very Rare Barry Crockett Legacy Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Award: Double Gold, Best Pure Pot Still & Best Overall Irish Whiskey
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, toasted oak, lime, green berries, green sweet pepper, mandarin, cinnamon
Find Your Next Bottle: $350
This release represents the height of Midleton’s single pot still tradition. It was created to honour Barry Crockett, the long-serving master distiller who helped shape modern Irish whiskey. The style itself is unique to Ireland and uses a mash of malted and unmalted barley, triple distilled for a combination of weight and finesse.
The whiskey matures mainly in American oak ex-bourbon casks, with a small proportion aged in virgin American oak to add extra structure. There is no age statement, but the components are known to be well-matured. Midleton bottles it at 46% ABV.
Barry Crockett Legacy has long been regarded as one of the most refined examples of the single pot still style, and Midleton Distillery is perhaps the most revered distillery in Ireland.
Teeling Blackpitts Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Award: Double Gold, Best Single Malt Irish
Tasting Notes: BBQ smoke, cloves, butterscotch, orange peel, applewood smoke, honey, allspice, stewed pears, grilled pineapple, salted caramel, wood, savory smoke
Find Your Next Bottle: $60
Blackpitts is one of the most distinctive modern Irish single malts. It is produced in Dublin using heavily peated malted barley, which sets it apart from the soft, unpeated profile often associated with Irish whiskey. Teeling distils the spirit three times, which smooths the smoke and gives the whisky a cleaner edge than many Scottish peated malts.
The maturation is split between ex-bourbon barrels and Sauternes wine casks. The wine casks bring a bright fruit character that works well with the smoke and keeps the style approachable. Teeling has built its reputation on pushing Irish whiskey in new directions.
Indri Agneya Single Malt Indian Whisky
Award: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Smoke, mango, banana, melon, toffee, spice
Find Your Next Bottle: $58
Indri Agneya reflects the rise of India as a serious whisky-producing nation. The distillery is located in Haryana in northern India, where the warm climate accelerates maturation and creates bold flavour development. Agneya is made from Indian six-row barley and lightly peated using peat imported from Scotland. The spirit is double-distilled in copper pot stills.
The whisky matures fully in three types of cask. First fill bourbon barrels form the base, while Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks add extra richness. Ageing in India softens the smoke over time, so the peat becomes an accent rather than a dominant element. The combination of climate, cask choice and barley gives Agneya a distinctive profile that stands apart from both Scottish and Irish single malts.
Indri is part of a new generation of Indian distillers aiming to build on the foundations set by earlier pioneers.
