Scotch & Worldwide Whisky Tasting & Awards Ceremony announced

Spirit news

Wed 1 Sep 2021

By Pip Mortimer

The IWSC is delighted to announce it will be heading to Edinburgh for its Scotch & Worldwide Whisky Tasting this autumn. Celebrating its strong links with the Scotch Whisky industry and the homeland of its 2021 President, Michael Urquhart, the IWSC is returning to Scotland for a stunning tasting and celebration dinner.  

On 21 October, at Edinburgh’s The Balmoral Hotel, the IWSC will be hosting an impressive tasting of over 250 gold-outstanding and gold-medal-winning whiskies. This unique tasting will be one of the first occasions for the trade to reunite over a dram and provide an opportunity to try a diverse range of whiskies: from classic single malts to worldwide cask finishes, sublime Scottish blends to antipodean treasures and brilliant bourbons. This exclusive event has a limited number of tickets available, so register quickly to avoid disappointment. 

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Later the same evening, the IWSC invites members of the trade to dust off their dinner jackets and come together to sample, dine and celebrate success. The evening starts with another opportunity to sample the 250+ gold-medal-winning whiskies and 2021 spirit trophy winners. The tasting will be followed by pre-dinner cocktails, before guests will be led to the hotel’s Sir Walter Scott suite for a whisky-themed dinner - complete with drink pairings for each course, to showcase some of the amazing producers that enter the IWSC. 

A few choice awards will also be presented by some of the IWSC’s key sponsors - including Forsyths, Chivas Brothers and Labrenta - to recognise the amazing talent gathered in the room, and announce the winners of the IWSC 2021 whisky trophies and Spirits Communicator of the Year.

The evening’s awards will be hosted by Joel Harrison and Becky Paskin. As well as judging for the IWSC, they are both presenters, journalists, and consultants in the whisky world. Harrison is a regular face on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, and acts as spirits consultant for Club Oenologique. Paskin recently launched OurWhisky festival and was named Spirits Communicator of the Year by the IWSC in 2020.


How to attend:

For full details on how you can attend, please visit the Events page here. 

Trophies to be awarded at the Awards Ceremony, Thursday 21 October: 

  • Blended Scotch Whisky Trophy   
  • Single Malt Scotch Whisky Trophy – No Age Statement 
  • Single Malt Scotch Whisky Trophy – 15 Years and Under  
  • Single Malt Scotch Whisky Trophy – 16 – 25 Years 
  • Single Malt Scotch Whisky Trophy – 26 Years and over 
  • US Whiskey Trophy  Worldwide Whisky Trophy 
  • Spirits Communicator of the Year – sponsored by Chivas Brothers 
  • Worldwide Whiskey Producer – sponsored by Labrenta 
  • Scotch Whisky Producer – sponsored by Forsyths   


The rest of the IWSC’s awards for spirits and wine, including the Winemaker of the Year, will be announced in a virtual ceremony in October. Further details will follow shortly.


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