Results of San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Scotch Whisky

THE 2019 SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually from 60+ countries with tastings involving panels of expert judges selected each year from the spirits industry including mixologists, spirits buyers, and media from across the United States. Producers must submit their product for the competition and pay a fee ~US$500 for its evaluation. 

Not all entries are given awards (those not judged of sufficient quality are not given an award) but most receive a bronze, silver, or gold award from the tasting panel. The fact that most entrants receive an award likely involves some degree of self-selection, as the spirits producers choose whether to enter each of their brands in the competition and pay to receive a rating. Those entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the distinction of a "double-gold" medal. Additionally, a "best in show" designation is awarded in each main category of spirits.

The 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held at the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco from March 22nd through March 24th. The 2019 Competition was another record-breaking year that featured almost 3,000 entries from all corners of the world.

Best Other Single Malt Whiskey

Westland Distillery 5th Annual Peat Week Single Malt, Washington, USA

ABV: 50%      Retail Price: $100

Best Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Jack Ryan Toomevara 10 YO Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Château du Breuil Calvados Finish), Dublin, Ireland

ABV: 46%      Retail Price: $100

Best Blended Scotch - 16 Years And Older

Johnnie Walker 18 Year Old Blended Scotch, Scotland, UK

ABV: 40%      Retail Price: $85

Best Blended Scotch - No Age Statement

Cutty Stark Prohibition Blended Scotch, Scotland, UK

ABV: 50%      Retail Price: $30

Best Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Wemyss Malts The Hive Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Campbeltown, Scotland, UK

ABV: 46%      Retail Price: $55

Best Distillers' Single Malt Scotch - Up to 12 Years

Lagavulin 9 Year Old Game of Thrones "House Lannister" Single Malt Scotch, Islay, Scotland, UK

ABV: 46%      Retail Price: $65

Best Distillers' Single Malt Scotch - 13 to 19 Years

The GlenDronach Revival 15 YO Single Malt Scotch, Highlands, Scotland, UK

ABV: 46%      Retail Price: $100

Best Scotch • Best Distillers' Single Malt Scotch - 20 Years And Older

BenRiach Temporis Aged 21 Years Single Malt Scotch, Speyside, Scotland, UK

ABV: 46%      Retail Price: $121

Best Distillers' Single Malt Scotch - No Age Statement

BenRiach Cask Strength Batch 2 Single Malt Scotch, Speyside, Scotland, UK

ABV: 60.6%   Retail Price: $70

Best Independent Merchant Single Malt

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 72.62 Full-throttle Sophistication Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Speyside, Scotland, UK
ABV: 51.7%   Retail Price: $495

DIAGEO PRODUCTS:

Best in Class

Johnnie Walker 18-Year-Old – Best Blended Scotch

Lagavulin 9-Year-Old, Game of Thrones House Lannister – Best Distillers’ Malt Scotch, Up to 12 Years

Double Gold

Buchanan’s 18-Year-Old Special Reserve

Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection (packaging)

Johnnie Walker 18-Year-Old

Johnnie Walker Double Black Label

Lagavulin 12-Year-Old

Lagavulin 9-Year-Old, Game of Thrones House Lannister

Mortlach 16-Year-Old

Singleton 12-Year-Old

Talisker 10-Year-Old

Talisker Distiller’s Edition