Best spirits from the IWSC 2024: 23 award-winning bottles

Whether you’re attempting to comprehensively stock the home bar or looking for one special bottle of your favourite spirit, you’ll be excited to read that the IWSC (International Wine and Spirit Competition) has just named the best spirits of 2024. A total of 23 trophies were awarded for the top whiskies, Tequila, mezcal, vodka, Cognac and more.

From an aged rum that smells like leather, olive oil and Christmas cake to an Armagnac from the 1970s with a silky palate and flavours of pastry and baking spices, notes from the IWSC judges are available below for all the spirits trophy winners from the IWSC 2024.

The spirits on this list were all awarded with a gold medal from the IWSC 2024 by a roster of experienced judges who tasted each entry blind before scoring each spirit out of 100. To be awarded with a gold medal, spirits had to score 95 points or more. All gold medal winners were subsequently entered into a further blind tasting to decide which bottle should be named the best in show within each category. Scroll down to explore our list of the top spirits of 2023 according to the IWSC.

The 23 top spirits of 2024 according to the IWSC

Top Armagnac: SCV Beraut, Château de Pellehaut 1974 Armagnac
Top Baiju: Kweichow Laishiqingyou Liquor Industry Group Co., Qing You Ren Yin Year Commemorative Money Baijiu
Top blended scotch whisky: Diageo, Johnnie Walker High Rye Blended Scotch Whisky
Top bourbon: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., High Rye Bourbon Kentucky Straight Whiskey
Top classic gin: Naught Distilling, Overproof Gin
Top Cognac: Claude Thorin Sarl, XO Cognac
Top flavoured gin: Junipero, Junipero Smoked Rosemary Gin
Top fruit spirit: Bimmerle Private Distillery, Goldhauch Mirabellenbrand 6 YO Eau-De-Vie
Top grape brandy: Van Ryn’s, Single Potstill Brandy Aged 12 Years
Top Irish Whiskey: Irish Distillers, Powers Three Swallow Release Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Top liqueur: Tonow Distillery, Apple Liqueur
Top marc/pommace brandy: Podrumi Vukoje 1982, Grozda Muskat Brandy
Top mezcal: Meanwhile Drinks, Pensador Espadín Artesanal Mezcal
Top rum: R L Seale, Foursquare 14 YO Equipoise Rum
Top rye whiskey: Frank August, Case Study: 03 | Winter Cover Rye | 3 Barrel Batch
Top shochu: Chuko Awamori Distillery Co., The Vanilla 14 YO Shochu
Top single malt scotch 15 YO and under: Loch Lomond Whiskies, 12 YO Inchmurrin Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Top single malt scotch 16-25 YO: Cask 88, Imperial Distillery The Bothy 25 YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Top single malt scotch 26 YO and over: East Asia Whisky Company, 35 YO Manta Ray Genesis Bunnahabhain Distillery Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Top scotch no age stated: Tomatin Distillery, Legacy Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Top Tequila: Proximo Spirits, 1800 Milenio Extra Añejo Tequila
Top vodka: Maison Solignac, Initiale Vodka
Top worldwide whisky: Coors Spirits Co., Five Trail Barrel Proof Batch 003 Blended American Whiskey

HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE SPIRITS?

We operate a regimented, rigorous spirits tasting process. That means that each spirit sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC spirit judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the drinks industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.

HOW DO WE SCORE THESE SPIRITS?

Only the best spirits sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, spirits have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver winners must have scored 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.

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