Leading Australian spirits producer, Sullivans Cove, have continued their winning streak at the World Whisky Awards this year by winning the award for World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt.
A global panel of journalists, spirit experts, distillers and bartenders blind-tasted over a thousand whisky brands as part of the World’s Best Whiskies 2019 awards, conducted by Whisky Magazine.
The Tasmanian distillery was singled out for Cask TD0217 of its French Oak Whisky, which is aged in 300L French Oak ex-tawny barrels with three additional awards recognising the company’s international single malt and grain brands.
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The awards have become one of the biggest and most respected authorities in the whisky industry.
Never before has any distiller won back to back ‘world’s best’ honours. Sullivans Cove is also the only distiller globally to have won three such accolades, having previously won in 2014 and 2018.
“This is one of the younger whiskies that we’ve bottled at ten years old, and it just goes to show that the whiskies we’re bottling now are as good as anything we’ve ever released,” said Managing Director, Adam Sable.
About half of the winning cask was packaged in 200ml miniature bottles and sold as part of a gift pack released to Sullivans Cove’s mailing list members last year, with only 147 full-sized bottles made available from the distillery’s cellar door.
“There’ll be some pretty happy people out there. I love the idea that it went into the gift pack in the 200ml bottles because it gives more people a chance to taste it,” he said. “Huge congratulations have to go to our whole team, including our tasting panel, who check every cask at regular intervals to determine when and if they’re worthy of a Sullivans Cove label, and the optimal time for bottling,” said Sable.
Production Manager Heather Tillott added: “We identified this cask as a really special one as soon as we tasted it. We knew it was worth entering in competitions as a really beautiful example of a younger Sullivans Cove French Oak style with all the dark maple syrup and treacle character we look for, combined with lots of prunes and plums and a lovely weight to is as well.
“That richness comes from the beautiful Australian fortified wine that was previously aged in the cask, which balances brilliantly with the dried spice tannin of the French oak timber.”
The mood at the distillery was at an all-time high following the win.
“We can’t get the smiles off our faces,” said Tillott. “Especially because this is number three for us, it’s really solid proof that these wins are no fluke. We’re here to stay.”
Sullivans Cove joined two other Australian whisky industry champions at the World Whiskies Awards this year, with Dan Murphy’s picking up the award for World’s Best Supermarket and John Rochford of McLaren Vale Distillery winning World’s Best Distillery Manager.
Highly regarded is the title “World’s Best Single Malt”, which this year for the first time ever was awarded to an Irish whiskey: Teeling 24 years, matured for 21 years in ex-Bourbon barrels, then for three more years in ex-Sauternes wine barrels. This malt, part of the Vintage Reserve Collection, was bottled at 46% vol in August 2016, limited to 5,000 bottles.
And the other winning Whiskies are…
WORLD’S BEST SINGLE MALT
Best Irish Single Malt
Teeling Whiskey, 24 Years Old Vintage Reserve
WORLD’S BEST BLENDED MALT
Best Japanese Blended Malt
Nikka, Taketsuru Pure Malt 25 Years Old
WORLD’S BEST BLENDED WHISKY
Best Japanese Blended
Suntory Whisky Hibiki 21 Years
Old WORLD’S BEST BLENDED LIMITED RELEASE
Best Japanese Blended Limited Release
Ichiro’s Malt & Grain, Japanese Blended Whisky Limited Edition 2019
WORLD’S BEST BOURBON
Best Kentucky Bourbon
Four Roses, 130th Anniversary 2018 Limited Edition Small Batch
WORLD’S BEST CANADIAN BLENDED
Best Canadian Blended
J.P. Wiser’s, 35 Years Old
WORLD’S BEST CORN WHISKY
Best American Corn
Ironroot Republic, Hubris Corn Whiskey
WORLD’S BEST FLAVOURED WHISKY
Best American Flavoured Whiskey
Heritage Distilling Co., Brown Sugar Bourbon
WORLD’S BEST GRAIN WHISKY
Best Japanese Grain
The Fuji-Gotemba Distillery, Single Grain 25 Years Old Small Batch
WORLD’S BEST NEW MAKE
Best Danish New Make
Stauning Whisky, Curious – Peat Smoked Malted Rye New Make
WORLD’S BEST POT STILL
Best Irish Pot Still
The Temple Bar, 14 Years Old Single Cask
WORLD’S BEST RYE WHISKY
Best German Rye
Stork Club Whisky, Straight Rye Whisky
WORLD’S BEST SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALT
Best Australian Single Cask Single Malt
Sullivans Cove, French Oak TD0217
WORLD’S BEST SINGLE MALT
Best Irish Single Malt
Teeling Whiskey, 24 Years Old Vintage Reserve
WORLD’S BEST TENNESSEE WHISKEY
Uncle Nearest 1856, Premium Aged Whiskey
WORLD’S BEST WHEAT WHISKY
Best American Wheat
Bainbridge, Battle Point Two Islands Hokkaido Mizunara Cask
