The cream of the crop
Every year Whisky Magazine holds the Icons of Whisky, the international awards recognising the very best in the whisky industry
There are only really three things that are important in the whisky business,people, product and place.
With these things you get the passion,craft and history behind every drop of the good stuff.
To celebrate the people and places behind the whiskies you enjoy,the Icons of Whisky was launched six years ago.
This year we changed the judging process,with regional heats in the US,Japan and Scotland.
Each regional heat has been voted on by industry members only in that country.
Once we have the regional winners,we will open the field for other contenders from the rest of the world,who will be voted upon by the whole industry.
The final winners will then be awarded in London on Thursday 1st March 2007.
So far two of the four regional heats have been held and awards handed out to the winners.It has to be said that the voting in many categories was painfully close.
In America,the awards were handed out during a prestigious lunch in Louisville,Kentucky.
Several of the bourbon industry’s greats attended the awards presentations at the Seelbach Hotel,including the Van Winkles,Woodford Reserve’s Chris Morris,Four Roses’Jim Rutledge and Heaven Hill’s Larry Kass.
In Japan,the awards will be handed out by Whisky Magazine Contributing Editor Dave Broom.
The Irish Icon winners,together with the Scottish winners,are set to receive their awards before the grand final in March.
There are two awards in each category,an Icon and a Highly Commended.
For more details see www.w.....
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By Rob Allanson
Section : Icons of Whisky
Page number : 50
