183 individual medals from the world’s leading taste and design competitions in 2021!
Irish Distillers is celebrating yet another outstanding awards season after being honoured with 183 individual medals from the world’s leading taste and design competitions in 2021!
The impressive haul of medals, an increase of 11 medals versus 2020, includes several of the top accolades in the Irish Whiskey Category for the distillers’ diverse portfolio.
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaleach Knockrath Forest
Testament to the quality and craftsmanship of the world’s best loved Irish whiskey, Jameson Irish Whiskey, which enjoyed sales of 8.6 million cases globally in 2020/2021, was awarded a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold at the International Spirits Challenge.
Jameson Black Barrel, achieved recognition across the board, taking home Gold Outstanding (98 points) at the International Wine and Spirit Competition and winning the overall trophy for Best Irish Whiskey at the International Spirits Challenge, while Jameson Bow Street 18 Years achieved a Platinum Medal (96 points) at the Beverage Tasting Institute.
Redbreast continued its legacy as the world’s most decorated single pot still Irish whiskey, securing 29 medals of Gold and above, including a Platinum Medal and a top score of 100, for Redbreast 27 Year Old from the Beverage Tasting Institute. Redbreast also won the coveted Chairman’s Trophy (98 points) for its much-acclaimed 12 Year Old Cask Strength. Elsewhere, the Redbreast range collected six Master medals at The Irish Whiskey Masters, while Redbreast 21 Year Old was crowned the World’s Best Pot Still at the World Whisky Awards.
Jameson Black Barrel
Further reinforcing Midleton Very Rare’s standing as the pinnacle of Irish whiskey, Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaleach Knockrath Forest was awarded a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and named the Best Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey. The range’s only permanent expression, Midleton Very Rare Barry Crockett Legacy, also achieved high praise including Gold Outstanding (98 points) at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.
The innovative and exemplary whiskeys produced by hand at Midleton’s Micro Distillery were also recognised with the METHOD AND MADNESS collection winning five Double Golds at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and two Master Medals at the Irish Whiskey Masters – the highest accolade at the competition.
Jameson
The iconic Powers collection, which celebrated its 230th anniversary this year, was recognised by a multitude of award bodies for both its distinctive distillate flavour and bold design. Powers Three Swallow and Powers John’s Lane both achieved Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, while John’s Lane also took home a Design & Packaging Master following the brand’s bold redesign, which was described by judges as eye-catching and prominent.
Last but not least, the return of Blue Spot to the historic Spot Family was warmly received by judges across the globe, winning five Gold medals and above and a prestigious spot in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge Top 100 Spirits list. The other expressions in the range were equally decorated, including a Double Gold for Green Spot at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, Gold for Red Spot at the International Spirits Challenge and a Master for Yellow Spot at the Irish Whiskey Masters.
Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman
It has been another tremendous season across the portfolio, and we are beyond proud to see so many of our whiskeys securing several of the top accolades in the Irish Whiskey Category.
The Jameson family continues to excite and delight whiskey fans across the globe with its smooth taste and signature DNA, while our prestige portfolio continues to solidify Irish Whiskey’s standing as a luxury spirit on the world stage.
These awards demonstrate the dynamism of the category – from reimagined heritage brands such as The Spot Range and Powers – to innovative whiskeys from Redbreast, to METHOD AND MADNESS with distillate experimentation such as Rye and Malt and our Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaleach series, which showcase wood experimentation and maturation.
These achievements are a testament to my colleagues at Midleton Distillery who work tirelessly to apply their knowledge and passion to produce whiskeys of unrivalled quality.
– Kevin O’Gorman: Master Distiller at Irish Distillers
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