Distiller of the year: Diageo
There were many entrants for this category, some obvious, some not so. The award is meant to be for an individual, but a clear trend started to
emerge â there was a regular stream of votes for Diageo-owned distilleries, and occasionally, votes for Diageo itself. We just couldnât ignore it.
What was unusual in this category was that some voters wanted to write in support of their nomination, resulting in some of the most passionate opinions expressed anywhere in these Whisky Awards.
There is an understandable wariness that borders on cynicism when it comes to any big company. But Diageo has been doing some great things.
Some argued that Diageo should be chosen precisely because it is a big company. It doesnât have to invest time and money in whisky in the way it is doing, runs the argument, and if it is praised and encouraged, other big companies might support the industry, too.
One voter, nominating Classic Malts for the award, wrote: âThe whole concept of Classic Malts is regionality â of linking malt whisky to its provenance â which is what single malts should be about. Their bosses at Diageo may have been slow to enter the world of malts, but they are catching up, with Hidden Malts and so on. And they are light years ahead of their larger rivals.â
But the best submission in the companyâs support said it all really. Weâre leaving it anonymous, but it comes from a weighty source and we support every word.
âDespite being big, it has not taken the laz.....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Whisky Magazine to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
You can unlock and read this entire article with 1 of your community tokens by clicking here.
By Dominic Roskrow
Section : Whisky Academy
Page number : 19
