Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition 2022: Western Spirits Division results are in!

Last week, the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC) revealed the results of the first round of judging for Western spirits like whisky, gin, and more. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

Judging for TWSC 2022 was once again done entirely remotely, with the Western Spirits Division involving some 241 judges. And yes, I do sit on the Executive Committee for TWSC, and I also judge both Western Spirits and Shochu Divisions.

Compared to last year, TWSC 2022’s Western Spirits Division had 75 more entries. With each judge responsible for between 30 and 40 items in the first round, all judges had an awful lot of numbered minibottles showing up at our doorsteps.

Getting to the results, there were 23 Superior Golds awarded, and when talking about Japanese whisky, the four bottles that got Superior Gold are all (very) familiar names: Kanosuke 2021 First Edition, Yamazaki 18, Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Blended Japanese Whisky 2022, and Hibiki 21. Interestingly, the only two gins that got Superior Gold are both Japanese: Sakurao Gin Original and Roku. You can find the full list of Superior Golds in the below press release, in English.

Press Release

There are way too many things to talk about on the complete winner list, so I’ll just point you to it here.

Apart from the above results of the first round of judging for Western spirits, we’ll soon see several more announcements: 1) Shochu Division Round 1 results, 2) Western Spirits Division Round 2 results (for “Best of the Best” et. al), 3) Shochu Division Round 2 results, and 4) Special Awards. The Special Awards will include awards like “Distillery of the Year” and even a few new surprises. So stay tuned!