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Glenmorangie
Lasanta and Ardbeg Corryvreckan named
best whisky in their region at the World
Whisky Awards 2017.
As the whisky award season continues,
whiskies from Ardbeg and Glenmorangie
have been named as category winners in
the World Whisky Awards 2017.
First up is the absolutely outstanding
Ardbeg Corryvreckan which I am pleased
to say was awarded Best Islay Single
Malt with Ardbeg Corryvreckan. This is
really a stunning peaty whisky which I
doesn't always get the praise it
deserves. If you enjoy a peat monster
once and a while this get yourself a
bottle of this if you haven't already.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan, which takes its
name from the treacherous whirlpool off
the coast of Ardbeg’s remote island home
of Islay, was hailed by the WWA judges
for its "fresh sea breeze aromas and a
distinct prickle from the alcohol". The
judges commended the 57.1% ABV whisky's distinctive
character, saying: "Sweet, dense, smoky
and salty on the palate. Like biting
into charcoal. Sea salt-laced, sticky
toffee pudding. Orange oils and a spicy
bite – star anise and white pepper, plus
some seaweed."
Next up is is a whisky from the
Glenmorangie Highland distillery, the
whisky
has had its ups and downs in quality
over the years, it is the Glenmorangie
Lasanta which was awarded Best Highland
Single Malt, so it appears that it is
very much back to its best. Bottled at
12 years old, it is matured for 10 years
in American white oak ex-bourbon casks
before being extra-matured for a further
two years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez
Sherry casks from Jerez in Spain. It did
also take some criticism when
Glenmorangie reduced the ABV from 46% to
43% but given this award it has still
been judged to be a quality dram.
The judges were full of praise for
Glenmorangie Lasanta, they described it
as: "Deliciously bold sherry. Nutty,
with dried fruit, a touch of dryness,
apricots, dates and walnuts. A dry
palate, but superbly balanced. Menthol,
fruit cake, dark chocolate, cinnamon and
clove notes. Excellent."
Now in its 11th year, the World Whiskies
Awards is a respected and influential
competition, in which whiskies are blind
tasted (as they should be in all
competitions) over three rounds by
judges who include industry experts,
whisky writers and master distillers.
For 2017, more than 500 whiskies from 30
countries took part.
If you want to try the two award winning
whiskies for yourself you will find them available from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
Master of
Malt
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