Attended by industry representatives and specialist retailers, the awards ceremony took place at the Station Hotel in Rothes, hosted by event sponsor Forsyths.

Alongside announcing the winners, the judges also took part in a blind tasting to select the finalists for the Spirit of Speyside Awards 2022. The presentation was streamed via Facebook to allow whisky lovers from around the world to join in.

Using a combination of in-person and virtual sessions, over 1,600 votes were cast across 15 panels. Also, three new venues across the globe were added to the tasting mix, with sessions from New Brunswick, Canada to Mumbai, India and from Dublin, Ireland to Cologne, Germany.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2020/2021 winners included:

12YO & Under
Gold Award - Aberlour 10YO
Silver Award - Cardhu 12YO

13 to 20YO
Gold Award - Glenallachie 15YO
Silver Award - Benromach 15YO

21YO & Over
Gold Award - Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23YO
Silver Award - Glenfarclas 25YO

Non-Age Statement
Gold Award - Tamnavulin Sherry Cask Edition
Silver Award - Cardhu Amber Rock

To identify the finalists for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2022, the independent judging panel carried out a rigorous blind tasting of entries from 50 qualifying Speyside distilleries, before scoring each whisky on its character and flavour.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards 2022 finalists include:

12YO & Under
Benriach 12YO
Benromach 10YO

13 to 20YO
Glenlivet 15YO
Aberlour 16YO

21YO & Over
Aultmore 21YO
Balvenie 21YO

Non-Age Statement
Aberlour A’bunadh
Tamnavulin Spanish Grenache Cask Edition

These whiskies will now go forward to be tasted and judged by whisky drinkers around the world over the coming months. The final winners will be announced at the Spirit of Speyside’s Gala Dinner on 27th April 2022, which will also mark the beginning of the 2022 Whisky Festival.

George McNeil, chairman designate at The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: “It’s the first time I’ve been involved in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards and it’s been great to see our judging panels in awe of the standard of whisky produced here in Speyside by our local craftsmen and women.

“Every year we see more and more people from around the world get involved in the final tasting to have their say in which Speyside Malt takes home the gold. That’s what makes The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards truly an award like no other – it’s the real whisky experts, whisky consumers from around the world, voting for the final winners of Speyside’s best whiskies.”

For further information on The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards or to find out how to host a voting session in 2022, visit www.spiritofspeyside.com.