Islay single malt Ardbeg Kelpie has taken the top award and a clutch of others at the International Whisky Competition (IWC) in Las Vegas.
The expression was named whisky of the year as well as best new release, best single malt (Islay), best peated malt and best single malt (no age statement) in the influential annual awards.
For the second year running at the IWC, Bill Lumsden, director of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, was named master distiller of the year.
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Mr Lumsden said: “Ardbeg Kelpie was extremely well received by the Ardbeg Committee and further industry recognition is a great seal of approval.
“It is also a real honour to be recognised once again personally by my peers, but the real reward is seeing our whiskies – which go through a rigorous blind taste test – perform so well across a range of categories.”
Ardbeg distillery was acquired by the Glenmorangie Company in 1997 and re-opened after having been mothballed for a year.
Also at the IWC, Glenmorangie’s Grand Vintage Malt 1990 was named best single malt Scotch (Highlands), while Lasanta was awarded gold in the single malt 12-year-old category and Extremely Rare 18-Year-Old won gold in its age category.
The Glenmorangie Company also received a host of accolades this month at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), with expressions from both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg winning double gold medals.
Mr Lumsden added: “The recognition by these prestigious, globally renowned competitions is testament to our commitment to innovation and craftsmanship, using techniques never before seen in the industry to create a dram like no other.”
