The world’s best whiskies have been named in the World Whiskies Awards. The awards were announced on Wednesday 25 March at a ceremony held at the Waldorf, London. The event brought together members of the global whisky community for an evening of celebration and reflection.

The World Whiskies Awards reward the patience, creativity, and dedication represented in a whisky bottle. The 2026 competition has seen World’s Best titles conferred on both well-established brands from countries with long histories with the spirit, such as Bowmore and Ballantine’s of Scotland, as well as younger distilleries from the new frontiers of production, including Australia, Belgium, and China.

Also at the London ceremony, the people and places whisky industry were rewarded, with the announcement of the global winners in the Icons of Whisky 2026. The evening closed with the induction of two new members of the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame; Serge Valentin of Whisky Fun and Tadashi Sakuma, former chief blender for Nikka Whisky, became the latest honoured with the title.

Bradley Weir, chair of judges for the World Whiskies Awards and editor of Whisky Magazine, said: “Looking at this year’s list of winners, it’s apparent how lucky we are to have so many incredible brands working at the top of their game right now. What has been most exciting about this year is how truly global the World’s Best have been. We have winners from Australia, Japan, US, Scotland, Spain, and many more, emphasising the strength of whisky production worldwide.

“It’s been an honour to taste and judge these whiskies across the different rounds over the past few months, and none of this would have been possible without the talents of the entire international judging pool. Their expertise, consideration, and care have led us to this exciting moment, and I think we can all be proud of those determined World’s Best. Congratulations, all!”

To view the full list of winners and medalists, visit worldwhiskiesawards.com.