International Wine & Spirit Competition 2014

The folks here at MoM Towers aren’t going to win the World Cup anytime soon. Our team, Bitter Bastards FC, are just a few players short of a full squad and therefore wouldn’t qualify, so the German team has nothing to be worried about… Yet. We’re also not going to win Wimbledon, despite a small subset of us being pretty gosh-darn good at squash (they’re basically the same sport, one just has more passive aggressive connotations and a wall). Oscars? Probably not. Grammys? Unlikely. Nobel Peace Prize? Doubtful at best. Medals for making stunning drinks? Now you’re talking!

That’s right, that little preamble is leading up to us proudly showing off the medals our products scooped up at the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition 2014. We’re always immensely excited and grateful when the products we make are commended by the highly knowledgeable tasters behind these awarding bodies – it really does mean the world to us.

So, without further ado, we’re ecstatic to announce that The Lost Distilleries Blend Batch 5 from The Blended Whisky Company absolutely smashed it and has been awarded an IWSC 2014 Gold Outstanding Medal.

The Lost Distilleries Blend IWSC 2014 Gold Outstanding

Gold Outstanding Medal
The Lost Distilleries Blend – Batch 5 – 50.4% – 193 bottles – £349.95

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Fragrant, perfumed nose with attractive smoky backing. Summer fruits come into full play along with peach, citrus where lemon is strong. Attractive marine notes add complexity with touch of olive and some anise and rich toffee. Good balance of malt and grains. Long satisfying finish.”

Now, this series is no stranger to bringing home big awards having been named the World’s Best Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards, and Batch 5 has continued to wow judges. Every component of the blend comes from a closed distillery, containing malts from Caperdonich, Rosebank, Imperial, Mosstowie, Brora and Port Ellen, as well as grain from Port Dundas. The blend doesn’t just sit back on the legendary selection of distillery names on the label to impress people. It’s amazing in its own right – impeccably balanced, complex and satisfying.

Released earlier this year, it didn’t take long for one of our Darkness! single malts to receive an award. For being a helluva Sherried beast, the Darkness! Macallan 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish was award an IWSC 2014 Gold Medal.

Darkness! Macallan Pedro Ximénez IWSC 2014 Gold

Gold Medal
Darkness! Macallan 15 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Cask Finish – 52.3% – SOLD OUT

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“A fragrant whisky with delicate wood smoke. Fine oak spices with cloves, sweet stem ginger and chocolate. Soft vanilla ending with a subtle spicy touch.”

We’re incredibly proud of how the Darkness! range turned out, not just because it let the content team make countless jokes about Batman, Star Trek and goodness knows how many other intellectual properties. We take great whiskies and finish them in tiny, 50-litre, first-fill Sherry casks, and this has a massive influence on the malt. Seeing the reviews people have posted on their blogs and receiving this Gold Medal for the Macallan brings a smile to our faces. Sadly the Macallan is sold out (always going to happen), but I implore you to take a look at the others in the Darkness! range. They’re all appropriately ridiculous.

Not only that, a gaggle of drinks also took home IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding Medals. How many is in that gaggle? Let’s ask someone who would know – a goose.

Laughing Goose IWSC 2014

“Five drinks fit the bill of being IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding Medal winners. Get it? Bill?! Hee hee hee…”

The goose is right! Five lovely libations won a Silver Outstanding Medal, including our 40 Year Old Speyside, the 4th edition of our 50 Year Old Speyside, That Boutique-y Whisky Company Caol Ila Batch 1, the Cask-Aged Negroni Cocktail (12 Months) and the award-winningest Bathtub Gin. We’re delighted to have been acknowledged and applauded for what we get up to, not just in one area, but all over the shop. Whiskies, gins, cocktails, all sorts!

Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding

Silver Outstanding Medal – Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside (2nd Edition)

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Deep, mature nose with char, vanilla and ripe mango, pineapple and rich ripe citrus. Deep round mouth with same flavours as nose had aromas with addition of dark brown sugar, toffee apples, vanilla, ripe cherries and prunes. Rich, deep flow with satin texture. Great oak backing. Rich, mellow, deep finish.”

Master of Malt 50 Year Old Speyside IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding

Silver Outstanding Medal – Master of Malt 50 Year Old Speyside (4th Edition)

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Mature nose with soft toffee, barley and a very attractive rum and raisin character. Immense mouth, deep and rounded packed with all manner of fruit including dates, prune, raisin and old marmalade and candied orange rind. Butterscotch, coffee, caramel and figs add even further complexity. Long slow mature finish.”

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Caol Ila Batch 1 IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding

Silver Outstanding Medal – Caol Ila – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Citrus and tropical fruit lead on the nose with fragrant lavender backing. Lively mouth with flavours of coconut, more citrus, grass, hay and dark sugary sweetness. Silky smooth. Full fruited finish with slightest wisp of smoke.”

The Handmade Cocktail Company Cask-Aged Negroni IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding

Silver Outstanding Medal – Cask-Aged Negroni Cocktail 2014 (12 Months)

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Herbal and spicy on the nose with notes of juniper coming through in the background. Balanced and bittersweet on the palate with a harmonious fusion of vermouth and gin. A premium (ready-to-drink) example of a bar-quality Negroni.”

Bathtub Gin IWSC 2014 Silver Outstanding

Silver Outstanding Medal – Bathtub Gin

International Wine & Spirits Competition Tasting Note:

“Pale gold in colour. Rich, dynamic aroma, encompassing a myriad of herbs and spices. On the taste, the spirit is silky smooth with a mild hint of sweetness and some delicate spice that helps to offset its dryer notes. An excellent sipping gin.”

We’re also excited to show off the six drinks that won IWSC 2014 Silver Medals, featuring the likes of our 10 Year Old Blend, our under-£1,000 60 Year Old Speyside Single Malt, Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s Rumbullion!, the Handmade Cocktail Company’s Cask-Aged Manhattan Cocktail 2014 (12 Months), That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s second batch of Clynelish and the Bitter Bastards Sour Cherry Bitters!

Master of Malt 10 Year Old Blended Whisky (1st Edition) IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Master of Malt 10 Year Old Blended Whisky (1st Edition)

Master of Malt 60 Year Old Speyside IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Master of Malt 60 Year Old Speyside

Rumbullion! IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Rumbullion!

The Handmade Cocktail Company Cask-Aged Manhattan Cocktail IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Cask-Aged Manhattan Cocktail 2014 (12 Months)

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Clynelish Batch 2 IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Clynelish – Batch 2 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

Bitter Bastards Sour Cherry Bitters IWSC 2014 Silver

Silver Medal – Bitter Bastards Sour Cherry Bitters

Bronze Medals were also received by That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Invergordon Batch 2 and Bitter Bastards Sweet Orange Bitters. Take a gander at the dance the goose is doing because he’s so excited about it!

Laughing Goose IWSC 2014

Like we said, these awards really do mean a huge amount to us. However, we’re not just going to sit back and savour the warm-fuzzy feeling in our chests as we look at the shiny medals (although that is nice for a minute or two, hence this blog). These awards serve to make us want to continue making new, delicious drinks for you all to enjoy and maybe win some more awards in the process, which in turn will make us want to make more drinks. It’s a never-ending cycle of awesomeness. Let’s keep it going.

muppets Rollin' IWSC 2014

Keep rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, rollin’.

Sam