World Whiskies Awards 2026 - World's Best
25.03.26
World Whiskies Awards announces the World’s Best whiskies of 2026.
The winners in the
World Whiskies Awards 2026 and
Icons of Whisky 2026 have been announced at a ceremony in London, with honourees including Bowmore, Sullivans Cove, and Ichiro’s Malt and Grain.
London, United Kingdom — 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 global winners in the Icons of Whisky 2026 were named. The Icons of Whisky recognise the people and places whose work is the foundation of the whisky industry. Global winners are selected following region-specific rounds, which saw Icons named for Scotland, Ireland, the US, China, and Rest of World.
At the close of the evening, Paragraph Publishing managing director Damian Riley-Smith welcomed Serge Valentin, founder of the long-running blog Whisky Fun, and Tadashi Sakuma, former chief blender for Nikka Whisky, into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame inducts those individuals whose decades-long careers have made a significant impact on the whisky industry.
Anita Ujszaszi, awards director, commented: “The announcement of the World’s Best winners is a special moment every year, as these winners represent the absolute pinnacle of whisky craftsmanship. The winners this year represent not just quality, but the diversity, innovation, and heritage that make up the whisky world today. The same can be said for our lauded Icons of Whisky, whose work in shaping the modern face of the whisky industry is truly exciting.”
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, Hall of Fame inductees and medalists,
click here.
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