The World’s 5 Best Whiskies for 2020—According to the International Wines and Spirits Competition

The “best of the best” from this year’s whiskey competitors.

Steve Huff

Sep 23, 2020

Whiskey, whisky, bourbon, scotch—no matter what you call it or how you spell it, it’s probably the most interesting spirit of them all. And it easily offers the widest variety of flavors for the avid drinker.

In a nod to the vast variety of whiskies available around the world, the International Wines & Spirits Competition recently announced the winners all five whiskey categories for 2020. These are gold medal winners, considered the “best of the best,” and they come from all over—Germany, South Africa, and of course, Scotland.

The tasting notes for these winners are all glowing and have some common threads:

“Bold with abundant dark, dried fruits on the nose, underpinned by appealing vanilla and sweet nut clusters.”
“…aromas of toasty malted milk and vanilla flowers; there is outstanding depth to the palate: warm flapjacks and sweet honeycomb balanced by aged leather.”
“Demerara sugar on the nose with hints of melted wax and honey.”
“Soft vanilla sponge, orange liqueur and grapefruit zest on the nose.”
“Deep, dark wood aromas with hints of leather and old books.”

If you’re going to make a truly great whiskey, apparently you better be sure it has flavors and aromas that remind the drinker of vanilla, sugar, fruit, and leather. Or old books.

Check out the five gold medal winners below and start your shopping list today.