Page 3 - IWSCReport2017

foreword
WELCOME TO our celebration of the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2017 winners, a fantastically diverse group of wines and spirits from more than 90 countries – the biggest reach of any competition.
This was another excellent year for IWSC entries. We have again grown and adapted our award line-up significantly, with, among others, a new English Sparkling Wine Trophy, a Chinese Wine Producer of the Year award and an Organic Wine Trophy.
There was an especially strong showing from spirits, including an outstanding performance from Asia with eight baijiu gold medal winners. Its standing was so impressive we decided to introduce a dedicated trophy. We also saw a marked increase in Japanese shochu and Korean soju. And we shouldn’t forget the unstoppable rise of craft gin. We saw an increase of 126%, and that’s still a relatively small proportion of the
thousands of gins now being made. There’s been continued growth in
whisky entries – the category has diversified and expanded, with a range of no-age statement whiskies dominating the sector. Turning the focus to the art of the blend, rather than the prestige tied up in age, the Single Malt Scotch No Age Statement Trophy was this year awarded to Richard Paterson’s The Dalmore Valour Single Highland Malt. Richard, who has also won the Lifetime Achievement Award, is profiled on page 17.
The spirits awards were celebrated in July with our annual tasting at Vintners’ Hall in London, hosted by the Worshipful Company of Distillers. As usual, the ancient hall was packed with spirits professionals keen to taste the line-up of 200 spirits, from baijiu to the finest and rarest malts. Then in October we judged the wine label design award – now in its second year – in the suitably sumptuous surroundings of Asprey in New Bond St.
Wine entries were strong, with 14 new countries added, from Macedonia to Azerbaijan. While Chinese wine continues its global spread, we’ve had powerful showings across the board, especially in Australia and New Zealand.
Wines and spirits would be nothing without the people behind them. You’ll find profiles of and interviews with the many extraordinary talents we are celebrating this year, people like Joe Fattorini and Olivier Ward, Wine Communicator and Spirit Communicator of the Year respectively, and Nik Darlington of Red Squirrel Wine (the Julian Brind Trophy), Nick Morgan
(Outstanding Achievement in Scotch Whisky), and Kanonkop’s Abrie Beeslaar, our Winemaker of the Year.
THE VERY BEST
As part of our mission to search out and highlight the very best in wines and spirits worldwide, we’ve had a presence at the world’s major wine fairs, including ProWein in Düsseldorf, Vinitaly, Vinexpo and the London Wine Fair. Together with our partners the Kedge Business School, we also attended Vinisud, and – to reflect the importance of organic and biodynamic wines – the Millésime Bio 2017 in Marseille. This year, in parallel with the Annual Awards Banquet, we will also be at ProWine China in Shanghai with an exclusive spirits showcase.
I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Chris Blandy, our outgoing president and an indefatigable champion of the IWSC, whose time with us inspired him to find new ways of promoting Madeira, as he explains on page three.
Finally, a warm welcome to our new president, Facundo Bacardí, the great- great-grandson of the founder of Bacardí, who promises to bring the “founder’s mentality” of the legendary house to bear on the IWSC.
For Facundo, “culture, authenticity and heritage” are what connects a brand to its audience. As the IWSC approaches its 50th anniversary in better health than ever, those three attributes will be at the forefront of our celebrations.
Richard Stoppard
IWSC Group CEO partner businesses
Thank you to our media partners for their continued support:
2 winners’ guide 2017