The World Whiskies Awards results for 2019 are now in. Japan has once again made a great showing!
This year it’s a testament to the expertise of Japanese blenders. That’s important because we’ll likely see more reliance on blending prowess–rather than age statements–for the next several years in Japanese whisky. Releases like Hibiki Blender’s Choice, Ao and Legent (a “Japanese style” Bourbon) are evidence of this new trend.
On to the winners:
- World’s Best Blended Limited Release: Ichiro’s Malt & Grain – Japanese Blended Whisky Limited Edition 2019 (for the second year in a row)
- World’s Best Blended Malt: Taketsuru 25
- World’s Best Blended Whisky: Hibiki 21
- World’s Best Grain Whisky: The Fuji-Gotemba Distillery – Single Grain 25 Years Old Small Batch
Of course the real story here is that for the first time in history an Irish whiskey–Teeling 24–has taken home the “World’s Best Single Malt” crown. But that’s a bit out of the scope of this here blog!
Congratulations to all the winners!
Hi there! I created and run nomunication.jp. I’ve lived in Tokyo since 2008, and I am a certified Shochu Kikisake-shi/Shochu Sommelier (焼酎唎酒師), Cocktail Professor (カクテル検定１級), and I hold Whisky Kentei Levels 3 and JW (ウイスキー検定３級・JW級). I also sit on the Executive Committees for the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition and Japanese Whisky Day. Click here for more details about me and this site. Kampai!
Of all of them, only Hibiki 21 exists over here, and that is more or less impossible to get outside of inflated prices. Looking forward to trying the Legend though.