Championing strength and excellence in whisky

The evening’s highest honour, Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year, sponsored by Howden, was awarded to Lochranza Distillery – Isle of Arran, celebrating its excellence in whisky production and brand growth.

A standout competitor, The Glenmorangie Company, secured great success in the taste categories, claiming six medals – including three golds – reinforcing its reputation as one of our leading whisky makers.

One of the most celebrated moments of the night was the presentation of the Dr Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky, awarded to Willie Phillips. A legendary figure in the industry, Willie first joined Macallan in the early 1970s, ascending to become managing director in 1978, at a pivotal time when single malts began their rise to international prominence.

This year’s awards supported The Maclean Foundation as its charity partner. Founded in 2022 by whisky expert Charlie Maclean and his sons – Lachlan, Jamie, and Ewan – the foundation aims to create meaningful change through adventure, compassion, and collaboration with the whisky community.

Working with distilleries to select and bottle rare casks, the charity raises funds to provide access to clean water for vulnerable communities across the world.

In their most recent challenge, the brothers rowed across the Pacific Ocean non-stop and unsupported. The Maclean trio arrived in Cairns, Australia, on 30 August this year, after rowing an incredible 9,750 miles from Lima in Peru. Their139-day, unsupported journey set a new world record for the fastesthuman-powered crossing of the Pacific Ocean.The three brothers reached their £1 million target,with the funds enabling clean water projects for more than 40,000 people in Madagascar.

A 34-year-old Speyside single malt has recently been released to celebrate the remarkable row, with every bottle sold funding projects in the East African island country.

On the same day the brothers rowed into Cairns Marina the single cask of Auchroisk whisky – filled on 15 August, 1991, six months before eldest brother Ewan was born – was being bottled in tribute at Auld Bond Bottlers in Perth. Only 248 bottles of the whisky are being released.

Charles Maclean, who selected the cask, described the whisky as: “Far and away the finest example of Auchroisk I have ever encountered – rich and sumptuous, sophisticated and multi-layered, entirely satisfying.”