Whisky Magazine’s “Best Whiskies in the World 2010″

The latest issue of Whisky Magazine has arrived and this issue has their annual World Whiskies Awards for 2010.  The judges assembled this year included, as the chairman, Dave Broom, the heir apparent to Michael Jackson as the world’s whisky connoisseur.  There were also ten from Europe, five from the US, one from Canada and one from Japan.  While there were categories for whisky liqueur, grain whisky, new release whisky, blended malt whisky, blended whisky, and American whiskey the highlight, of course, was the World’s Best Single Malt Whisky.  So, what was the winner?

Ardbeg Corryvreckan was crowned the Best Single Malt Whisky in the World for 2010.  The Ardbeg distillery website describes it as “A deliciously deep, powerfully peaty and wonderfully wild whisky – Ardbeg Corryvreckan is the epitome of ‘the untamed spirit of Islay.”  I may just have to find some of that.

Other single malt category winners were:

Best Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky – Springbank 18 yr old
Best Island Non-Islay Single Malt Whisky – Highland Park Earl Magnus
Best Speyside Single Malt Whisky – Tomintoul 33 yr old
Best Highland Single Malt Whisky – Balblair 1975
Best Irish Single Malt Whisky – Bushmills 21 yr old Maderia Finish
Best Japanese Single Malt Whisky – Yamazaki Sherry Cask
Best Rest of the World Single Malt Whisky – Solist

There were also sub-category winners too numerous to mention here.  If you’re curious about the rest, find issue 87 of Whisky Magazine and buy it.  It’s worth the cover price.