On the 2025 Worldwide Wine & Spirits Competitors (IWSC), every of those single malt scotch whiskies scored 98 out of 100. And each one earned the best honor accessible: “Spirit Gold Excellent”.
That’s no small feat. The IWSC judges are among the many most skilled within the business, and reaching this stage requires not solely distinctive high quality however distinctive character. This 12 months’s prime scorers provide each, with a mixture of legendary names and daring newcomers. From a resurrected Lowland icon to Highland experiments in Cognac casks, every expression displays a novel method to single malt scotch, and all stood out on the worldwide stage.
Right here’s a better have a look at the whiskies that led the pack in 2025.
Rosebank Legacy Launch Three 32 Yr Outdated
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “Gorgeously aromatic with delicate aromas of candy grass seed, attractive pink fruit and a touch of aniseed. The graceful palate reveals a harmonious mix of candy, juicy citrus fruit, sweeping floral undertones and splendidly heat barrel spice.”
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The third installment in Rosebank’s “Legacy” sequence, this 32-year-old single malt is drawn from casks distilled earlier than the distillery’s closure in 1993. It’s triple-distilled and produced utilizing conventional worm-tub condensers, giving the unpeated Lowland spirit each delicacy and weight. Bottled at 47.6% ABV and unchillfiltered, it has floral and orchard fruit character with a contact of oily depth.
Rosebank was lengthy thought to be “The King of the Lowlands” earlier than being mothballed in 1993. It returned to life in 2023 after a full restoration by Ian Macleod Distillers. Awarded 98 factors at this 12 months’s IWSC, the Legacy Launch Three provides a last style of the unique Rosebank type earlier than the distillery’s new period begins in full.
Deanston Virgin Oak
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “Mild spice, hints of baked custard, and a contact of candied ginger on the nostril. The palate unfolds with a creamy texture of vanilla and baking spice with wealthy oak and a dry end of mineral spice and a touch of tangy orange.”
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Deanston’s Virgin Oak expression is a masterclass in coaxing daring taste from younger whisky. Matured first in ex-bourbon barrels after which completed in freshly charred virgin American oak, it balances the sweetness of vanilla and honey with spice and citrus zest. It’s bottled at 46.3% ABV.
Positioned in a transformed 18th-century cotton mill on the banks of the River Teith, Deanston is thought for its sustainable ethos and craft strategies. It makes use of solely Scottish barley, lengthy fermentation occasions, and generates its personal electrical energy through hydropower. The Virgin Oak earned 98 factors on the IWSC for its boldness, steadiness, and clear Highland character.
Deanston flies comparatively far below the radar when it comes to its world presence. Right here’s hoping that this award will give it some extra weight within the world market. If you’ll find it, do strive it.
Chivas Brothers A’glac Charrann 27 Yr Outdated (Imperial)
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “Daring and aromatic with an attractive bubble-gum sweetness and smooth spice on the nostril. The palate supplies creamy chocolate and caramel notes which counterpoint a core of blackberry pie, toasted pecan, and nutmeg, earlier than culminating in a lifted, recent pear end.”
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This 27-year-old single malt is a uncommon glimpse into the misplaced spirit of the Imperial Distillery, which closed for good in 1998. Aged fully in American oak, it’s bottled at pure cask power, permitting the Speyside distillery’s smooth orchard fruit and delicate spice to shine by way of with out interference.
Imperial, initially based in 1897, was demolished within the 2010s after a long time of sporadic operation. However a group of maturing casks survived and has been progressively launched below Chivas Brothers’ “Secret Speyside” assortment. A’glac Charrann, Gaelic for “Fording the River Carron”, is each a tribute to a forgotten distillery and a showcase of traditional Speyside subtlety. It was one of many IWSC’s highest-scoring whiskies of the 12 months.
Loch Lomond 18 Yr Outdated
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “The fragrant embrace begins with brine interwoven with wooden smoke and brown bread. The velvety textured palate reveals juicy oranges and a contact of white pepper. Refined peat enhances notes of dried fruit and heat spice on an extended, lingering end.”
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Loch Lomond’s 18 Yr Outdated expression is a posh Highland malt crafted from spirit produced in each conventional swan-neck stills and the distillery’s distinctive straight-neck stills. It’s aged for 18 years in three sorts of American oak cask, re-charred on-site for consistency, and bottled at 46% ABV with out chill filtration. The result’s a wealthy, full-bodied whisky with baked apple, vanilla, and a smooth thread of smoke.
The distillery, situated close to the shores of Loch Lomond, is exclusive in Scotland for producing each malt and grain whiskies below one roof. With an in-house cooperage and the flexibility to supply a variety of spirit types, Loch Lomond has develop into identified for its technical innovation.
This 18-year-old earned 98 factors on the IWSC for its depth, steadiness, and unmistakable character. The truth is, Loch Lomond retains cropping up at whisky and spirit competitions the world over. Strive it, and also you gained’t be dissatisfied, based on specialists.
Loch Lomond Waypoint Sequence 16 Yr Outdated “Falls of Falloch”
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “Aromatic oak and nutmeg invite you in, complemented by roasted apple and plum. The palate bursts with tropical fruits—melon, mango, lychee, and grape—whereas smooth layers of spice linger elegantly, resulting in a satisfying medium-long end. Advanced and expressive.”
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One other entry from Loch Lomond, this limited-edition single malt is a part of Loch Lomond’s Waypoint Sequence, which explores place-based storytelling by way of cask ending. The 16-year-old “Falls of Falloch” expression was aged for 15 years in a mixture of ex-bourbon casks earlier than spending a last 12 months in ex-Cognac brandy casks, including floral and fruity elevate to the spirit’s Highland core. It was bottled at 46.2% ABV.
Whereas the distillery is finest identified for its technical vary, the Waypoint Sequence highlights its rising curiosity in experimental cask maturation and terroir-driven themes. Named after a scenic waterfall not removed from the distillery, this launch earned 98 factors from the IWSC for its freshness, construction, and inventiveness.
Benriach 2013 Classic Triple Sherry Cask
Tasting notes from the IWSC judges: “An evocative and alluring mix of cedar, polished oak, sultanas, and ginger notes, enlivened with a beneficiant sprinkling of baking spices. The palate showcases a sherry cask affect, which imbues the fruit core with an excellent richness and depth.”
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Crafted below the route of Grasp Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie, this 2013 classic Benriach layers three sherry cask sorts for max depth. One parcel of spirit was totally matured in Oloroso, one other was completed in Oloroso after ex-bourbon getting old, and a 3rd was completed in Pedro Ximénez casks. The result’s a richly spiced, fruit-laden whisky bottled at 48.4% ABV with pure coloration and no chill filtration.
Benriach, based in 1898 and revived a number of occasions since, is thought for its broad spirit vary, together with peated and triple-distilled expressions, and for its experimental cask program. This Triple Sherry launch is a chief instance of that method, incomes one of many IWSC’s prime scores of the 12 months.
Last Ideas
This 12 months’s IWSC Gold Excellent single malts mirror the breadth of scotch whisky as we speak: from the revival of pre-closure Rosebank inventory to the daring oak-forward youth of Deanston, and from the vanished stills of Imperial to the cautious cask choice at Benriach. Loch Lomond, notably, secured two of the seven prime spots.
Every of those whiskies scored 98 factors, the best awarded by the IWSC in 2025. Extra importantly, each provides a distinct tackle what single malt scotch will be, whether or not that’s grounded in custom, pushed by innovation, or formed by time and place. If you happen to’re seeking to style the very best of what Scotland has to supply this 12 months, this checklist is a wonderful place to begin.
