William Grant & Sons Receives 54 Awards at International Wine & Spirits Competition

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its impressive showing at the 2011 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, independent family distiller William Grant & Sons has scooped a staggering 54 awards at the renowned 2011 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) at a ceremony held at the Inn Holders Hall in London on Wednesday July 27th 2011.  The awards, which include 3 highly coveted trophies and 19 Gold Medals, reflect the super premium quality of the William Grant & Sons portfolio and consolidate the company's reputation as one of the most pioneering companies in the business.

"I am delighted to see William Grant & Sons receive over 50 awards across our entire portfolio – including trophies for our single malt Scotch whiskey, vodka and tequila brands. To be so widely recognized at this year's awards is a true testament to the dedication and hard work we as a company put into our products. We aren't afraid to take risks, and it certainly has and will continue to pay off," says Simon Hunt, President and Managing Director of North America & Mexico for William Grant & Sons.

IWSC, widely considered the industry gold standard, is one of the world's most prestigious spirits competitions and counts some of the most respected names in the industry among its judges.  At the awards, the William Grant & Sons portfolio, which includes such highly acclaimed brands as Glenfiddich and The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, Hendrick's Gin, Milagro Tequila, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, and Sailor Jerry Rum, received rave reviews from the esteemed panel.

Entered products are evaluated by the IWSC's judging team of more than 300 experts. Products first undergo a blind tasting by the judges followed by an extensive chemical analysis, which ensures all products are technically sound and will be of the same quality when they reach the consumer. Top scoring prizes receive the Best in Class designation and are then eligible for the appropriate National or International Trophy – the top prizes

Leading the way was Glenfiddich, which received Gold awards for every one of its core brand variants from 12–40 Year Old.  The Balvenie 30 picked up the coveted Trophy for Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years and Over, as well as Gold Best in Class. Icelandic brand, Reyka Vodka, triumphed in its category winning the Vodka Trophy and Milagro Tequila walked away with the coveted Tequila Trophy.

The impressive haul of awards continues a very successful year for William Grant & Sons.  In addition to the company's recent spate of awards at New York's Ultimate Spirits Competition, William Grant & Sons was recently named "2011 Distiller of the Year" at Whisky Magazine's Icons of Whisky Awards, while the family distiller has also received the same distinction from the International Spirits Challenge and International Wine & Spirits Competition an unprecedented eight times in the past 11 years.

Following last week's awards, William Grant & Sons has now been shortlisted for the IWSC Distiller of the Year. The winner of this prestigious title will be announced at the awards presentation and banquet, to be held at the London Guildhall on 16th November 2011.

The full list of William Grant & Sons' awards is included below.  For more information on William Grant & Sons, please visit www.grantusa.com.

2011 International Wine & Spirits Competition

The Balvenie

• Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Years and Over Trophy, The Balvenie 30 Year Old
• Gold Best in Class, The Balvenie Portwood 21 Year Old
• Gold Best in Class, The Balvenie Peated Cask 17 Year Old
• Gold, The Balvenie Signature
• Gold, The Balvenie 40 Year Old
• Silver, The Balvenie Caribbean Cask
• Silver, The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old
• Silver, The Balvenie Golden Cask 14 Year Old

Glenfiddich

• Gold Best in Class, Glenfiddich 15 Year Old
• Gold Best in Class, Glenfiddich Rich Oak
• Gold Best in Class,  Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
• Gold, Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
• Gold, Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
• Gold, Glenfiddich 21 Year Old
• Gold, Glenfiddich 30 Year Old
• Silver Best in Class, Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix
• Silver, Glenfiddich Age of Discovery

Grant's

• Gold, Grant's 25 Year Old
• Silver Best in Class, Grant's Ale Cask
• Silver, Grant's 12 Year Old
• Silver, Grant's 18 Year Old
• Bronze, Grant's Sherry

Hendrick's

• Bronze, Hendrick's Gin

Hudson

• Silver Best in Class, Hudson Baby Bourbon
• Silver, Hudson Single Malt
• Silver, Hudson Four Grain Bourbon
• Silver, Hudson Manhattan Rye
• Silver, Hudson NY Corn

Milagro

• Tequila Trophy, Milagro Reposado
• Gold Best in Class, Milagro Select Barrel Anejo
• Gold Best in Class, Milagro Reposado
• Silver, Milagro Silver
• Silver, Milagro Anejo
• Silver, Milagro Select Barrel Silver
• Silver, Milagro Select Barrel Reposado

Monkey Shoulder

• Silver, Monkey Shoulder

Reyka

• Vodka Trophy, Reyka Vodka
• Gold Best in Class, Reyka Vodka

Sailor Jerry

• Gold Best in Class, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Solerno

• Bronze, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

Tullamore Dew

• Gold Best in Class, Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old
• Silver, Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old
• Silver, Tullamore Dew Single Malt 10 Year Old
• Silver, Tullamore Dew Black 43
• Bronze, Tullamore Dew Irish Whisky

About William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world's most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world's fourth largest blended Scotch Grant's® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick's® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and the award-winning Milagro® Tequila. 

Among the most recent accolades for the well-awarded company, William Grant & Sons was honored as the "Distiller of the Year" for the fourth time in five years by the prestigious International Spirits Challenge. 

Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Stolichnaya Vodka, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Lillet, Licor 43, Art In The Age, The Knot and BOLS cordials. The company has offices in New York City (sales and marketing) and Edison, NJ (bottling and warehouse facilities). For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.

SOURCE William Grant & Sons