WORLD WHISKY AWARDS CROWNS SOUTH AFRICAN WHISKY AS THE WORLD’S BEST


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WORLD WHISKY AWARDS CROWNS SOUTH AFRICAN WHISKY AS THE WORLD’S BEST

Bains Whisky

Accolades are nothing new when it comes to award-winning whisky hailing from places like Scotland or Japan.

When it comes from unlikely locations like South Africa though, people tend to take a little more notice. That was the case at this year’s World Whisky Awards where Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, a South African whisky, was given top honours as the World’s Best Grain Whisky for 2018.

If that wasn’t enough to put the lesser-known name on the map, Andy Watts, the founder and Master Distiller of Bain’s was also awarded the title of Global Icon of Whisky Master Distiller/Master Blender for 2018.

“We have overcome the odds against the perceived perception that only traditional whisky producing countries can be taken seriously,” said Watts.

“Our industry in SA is only 40 years old and although we’ve had many hurdles along the way, we have become innovative in our approach to manage our unique warmer climate, found creative ways to use home-grown raw material to our best advantage and constantly strive for crafting exceptional whiskies.”

Best-Whiskies-in-the-World-2

This wouldn’t be the first time Watt’s had tasted gold. 2013 was also his year which saw him take out the World’s Best Grain Whisky award in 2013 before taking home a slew of other gold medals from other competitions. For his latest major haul, Watts said that it was “the most humbling experience of my 34-year career in the whisky industry”.

What makes Bain’s special is the fact that it’s the only commercial whisky distillery on the African continent that’s made entirely from the region’s own grown corn. The process then involves a double maturation stage in used ex-bourbon casks which lasts for 5 years. Thanks to South Africa’s warmer climate an accelerated ageing process can be achieved to result in an exceptionally smooth whisky for its age.

What’s more important? It retails for about US$35 ($AU45) which makes it ridiculously accessible for whisky lovers around the world.

The World Whisky Awards is a well-respected event in the industry that’s sponsored by the UK’s Whisky Magazine – think TIME but for liquid gold. This year saw the winers announced at a gala dinner at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London.

The list of other winners include:

World’s Best Grain – Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
World’s Best Bourbon – 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon
World’s Best Blended Malt – Taketsuru 17 Year-Old
World’s Best Blended Limited Release – Ichiro’s Malt & Grain Limited Edition
World’s Best Blended – Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve
World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt – Sullivan’s Cove American Oak Single Cask
World’s Best Single Malt – Hakushu 25 Year-Old

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