Why the IWSC?
WHAT OUR ENTRANTS SAY
IWSC is the best awards in the drinks industry—but you don’t have to take our word for it...
Here are just a few testimonials from top-rated producers, industry experts and judges, that show how receiving an award from the International Wine & Spirit Competition can help businesses around the globe rise above their competitors. You can also visit our YouTube channel to watch a handful of interviews with some of our top-rated producers.
“Despite the export challenges over recent years, we have experienced incredible growth across Tomatin’s whisky portfolio here in the UK and beyond - and this really is a fantastic moment for us to take-stock and celebrate just how far we’ve come. We have worked incredibly hard on our product range over the years; and we continue to commit ourselves to crafting the very best tasting Highland whisky, so it’s brilliant to be recognised in this way by IWSC”.Stephen Bremner Managing Director, Tomatin
2022 Outstanding Spirits Producer
In a competition where the bar is high – the IWSC wine judging process is fair but demanding so achieving a medal is meaningful.Rebecca Palmer Wine Buyer, Corney & Barrow
One of the biggest successes we can point to off the back of our IWSC awards, are the largescale customers we have won as a direct result of the award.John Hall Founder & Distiller, Trevethan Distillery
2021 UK Gin Producer Trophy
Guy Hodcroft Spirits Buyer, Bordeaux IndexSome of the most discerning and demanding palates in the spirits industry can be found at the IWSC’s judging sessions, so achieving any kind of medal is no mean feat!
Nick King New Product Development Manager, WSETThe IWSC is judged by a very broad range of people who have a great depth of experience in the industry. If they're going ‘this is good’, it gives you [the producer] a very solid sense of – ‘yes I'm on the right track.’
Billy Abbott Whisky and fine spirits expert, The Whisky ExchangeAn IWSC accolade is one of the key pieces of getting your name out there, to actually tell people not only that you exist but also that you have quality, that you are a great product.
The IWSC is a great platform to benchmark your wines against some of the best, and the coverage you can get off the back of it is incredible.The winemaking team Langham Wine Estate
There are a lot of spirits competitions out there these days. Pretty soon we might even need a competition for the best competitions! If ever such a day arrived, it’s a safe bet that the IWSC would take home a 'double gold'.Brad Japhe Writer, Forbes
Awards give trust – not everybody is familiar with Cognac, so it’s important that they can trust awards, especially when they are famous like IWSC.Francis Abécassis Owner, ABK6, France
IWSC has been there for 50 years, so it’s the main recognition in the wine industry, and everyone knows it. Our award will help the business for sure.Gaelle Goossens Winemaker, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, France
When we’re talking to new partners, having this award to say that our spirits are great quality makes a difference when at the negotiation table.Nick Ravenhall Managing Director, ATOM Brands, UK
I like the breadth that IWSC offers. No longer are we just focusing on the major players, we’re looking at new regions where wine can be great.Madeline Puckette Co-founder, Wine Folly, USA
This award will help my business a lot. I’m an export producer, so I sell more than one third in export markets, and IWSC is well-known around the world.Rudi Rabl Winemaker, Weingut Rabl, Austria
IWSC helped us to realise that we were on the right track at such an early and influential time in our growth as a craft spirits producer.Michael Harris Director, Mountain Distilling Company, Australia
IWSC is a standard and a benchmark for quality, which is independent and utilises the best in the industry to judge the best in the industry.Jamie Matthewson Buying Manager, Waitrose, UK
IWSC is the pinnacle. We work hard to encourage brands to join our portfolio, so for them to see that we’ve won this award is very helpful.David Hood General Manager, Spirit Cartel, UK
IWSC not only heavily influences our buying decisions, but makes decisions easier. If you’ve tried a good wine, of course you’re going to buy it.Stefan Neumann MS Head Sommelier, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The response to our award from gin drinkers in Finland and further beyond was fantastic, and our sales over the years have grown over five-fold.Miika Lipiäinen CEO, Kyrö Distillery, Finland
IWSC is the most relevant wine award in the world. This is the only one we enter, to measure ourselves against our peers in the industry.Abrie Beeslaar Winemaker, Kanonkop, South Africa
Wine awards are super important. You’re judged at a similar level to other wines and to come out on top means that people trust what you’re doing.Tamara Roberts CEO, Ridgeview Wine Estate, UK