William Grant retains title of Grand Spirit Master

William Grant & Sons has once again been awarded the ultimate prize in The Spirits Business’ Spirits Masters competition, having been named Grand Spirits Master for the third consecutive year.

The wealth of talent and innovation in the spirits industry gave us some very deserving Grand Spirits Masters

The family-owned drinks group notched up a total of 45 medals in the blind spirits tasting competition throughout the year, securing itself the title once again.

Announced at The Spirits Masters awards lunch at No.1 Leicester Square in London yesterday, the Grand Spirits Master title is given to the company notching up the most amount of medals throughout the year.

With brands such as Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Sailor Jerry spanning a variety of categories, including Scotch, gin, Irish whiskey and rum, William Grant secured 12 Master, 16 Gold and 17 Silver medals for those entered this year.

Daisy Jones, associate publisher of The Spirits Business, said: “It’s with great pleasure to announce William Grant as Grand Spirits Master 2013, for yet another year.

“The title is testament to the fact that William Grant’s portfolio of brands are of such enviably high quality that is hard to beat.”

The company securing the most medals in each individual spirits category, which this year included Tequila, Absinthe, Rum, Asian Spirits, Scotch Whisky, Design, Gin, Irish Whiskey, World Whisky, Travel Retail, Liqueur, Vodka and Cognac, is awarded the title of Grand Master.

As well as being named Grand Spirits Master, William Grant was also awarded the titles of Grand Scotch Whisky Master, Grand Design Master and Grand Travel Retail Master.

The Spirits Masters competition, now in its sixth year, enlists the palates of independent judges, who are not attached to any brand and are experts in their field, to asses the aroma, flavour, balance and complexity of spirits in a blind tasting.

In addition to the Grand Spirit Master trophies, several companies were also rewarded for their continuous diligence to delivering high quality time after time, with a special Consistency and Excellence award. The recipients were:

Consistency and Excellence awards
Tovaritch & Spirits International
Studer & Co AG
Moet Hennessy Belvedere Portfolio
Diageo, whisky portfolio
Chivas Brothers

Click on the following pages to discover the 2013 Grand Masters from the Spirits Masters categories from throughout the year.

Grand Design Master – William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons was awarded three medals in the Design Masters this year, for products including the Glenfiddich Age of Discovery series and the Glenfiddich Ultimate 38 Year Old.

Grand Tequila Master – Borco International

Borco International’s range of premium Tequilas secured the distributor the Grand Tequila Master trophy in 2013. The group’s portfolio, which includes Sierra Antiguo and Sierra Milenario Reposado, attracted five medals from the judges.

Grand Absinthe Master – BBH Spirits

BBH Spirits, the owner of La Fée Absinthe, was awarded two Masters medals in this year’s Absinthe Masters.

Grand Rum Master – Angostura Caribbean Rum

Angostura Caribbean Rum was awarded five medals at this year’s Rum Masters, held back in February, with four Golds and a Master. The latter prestigious medal went to Angostura 1919.

Grand Asian Spirits Master – Purity Vodka

Perfectly positioned for the Asian market, with a luxurious design and flavour, Purity Vodka was awarded six medals at this year’s Asian Spirit Masters 2013,

Grand Scotch Whisky Master – William Grant & Sons

William Grant & Sons’ wide-ranging portfolio of Scotch whisky, both blended and single malts,  is of such enduringly high quality that it attracted a record 29 medals (six Masters, 10 Golds and 13 Silvers). Its range includes brands such as Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and Grant’s.

Grand Gin Master – Herno Gin

Swedish gin producer Herno was the surprise winner at this years Gin Masters, walking away with one Silver, two Golds and two Masters, for products such as Herno Navy Strength Gin.

Grand Irish Whiskey Master – Irish Distillers

With the most quality and diverse selection of Irish whiskey available, the winner of the Irish Whiskey Grand Master could only have gone to Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard. The group swept the board at the Irish Whiskey Masters, picking up 12 medals, including four Masters, three Golds and five Silvers.

Grand World Whisky Master – Balcones Distilling

The category that’s attracting rapid interest from all over the world, the World Whisky Masters handed out 15 medals, of which three of them were awarded to Texas craft distiller Balcones, winner of this year’s Grand World Whisky Master.

Grand Travel Retail Master – William Grant & Sons

Another big win for UK-based family-owned company William Grant & Sons. Having focused tremendously on its portfolio presented in travel retail, with a number of limited editions and exclusives, William Grant won seven medals at the awards held in September, across categories including Design & Packaging, Scotch Single Malts.

Grand Liqueur Master – Joseph Cartron

This year’s Grand Liqueur Master award went to boutique liqueurs producer Joseph Cartron, which won four medals during the judging in October.

Grand Vodka Master – Purity Vodka

Sweden-produced Purity Vodka was the star of the show at The Vodka Masters in September, winning three Golds and three Masters.

Grand Cognac Master – H Mounier SA

Cognac producer H Mounier’s portfolio of super-premium and ultra-premium Cognacs secured the group the title of Grand Cognac Master 2013. The company was awarded three medals at the blind tasting held in November.