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5 Major Accolades at the GSMC '23

June 1, 2023

We were delighted to hear the results of this year’s Global Spirits Master Competition (GSMC), organised by the international trade title “The Spirits Business”.  Five of our releases have been recognized, with 2 receiving  “Master” awards (their highest grade),  and 3  receiving Gold medals for our first-ever submissions to this panel.  All are recent new releases, and are starting to appear in great whisky stores around the world now.

The GSMC is an annual competition that seeks to recognize and reward the best spirits from around the world.  The entries are judged by a panel of leading spirits specialists in a blind tasting. The excellence of whisky is recognized by category, age, and price point.

Our Yellow Edition range is an exclusive selection of whiskies specially chosen to reflect the whisky regions of Scotland, alongside the distillery character. Here we focus on the finest casks from across the world. Both of our Yellow Edition entries received awards this year:

The Yellow Edition, Glen Moray 14 years old (57.2% abv), matured in 1st filled bourbon barrel, release of 141 bottles in total (Master award).

The Yellow Edition, Benrinnes 12 years old (54.3% abv), matured in 1st filled Pauillac Wine Barrique, the release of 252 bottles in total (Gold award).

With Ecosse G. 12 years old we pay tribute to the old and deep ties between Scotland and France. Our extraordinary, noble spirit matures in Scotland in particularly rare, high-quality barriques from France, formerly used for the finest Cognacs, & top wines from the small, famous area of St. Emilion. The maturation in these robust, characterful oak barrels in the cool Scottish air results in a wonderfully soft aromatic digestif, with each drop being at least 12 years old. The judging panel this year awarded this outstanding whisky with a Gold medal.

Cask Noir are exquisitely curated single cask whiskies from Scotland’s finest distilleries. Cask Noir whiskies start their life in some of Scotland’s finest studios (aka 'distilleries') and each release takes inspiration from classic movies and novels from a bygone era. Judges rewarded two of the Cask Noir bottles with the medals:

Cask Noir, “Ivy in Love”, Blair Athol 10yo (58.4% abv), matured in 1st filled Oloroso Hogshead, the release of 142 bottles in total (Masters award).

Cask Noir, “The Magnus Experiments”, the Orkney Islands, 15yo (63.4%), matured in 1st filled bourbon hogshead, the release of 288 bottles in total (Gold award).

The Scotch Whisky Masters Awards is an important event in the whisky industry. To receive 5 medals is a massive achievement for our young company and the whole team of Brave New Spirits. Our huge thanks go to the judges and organizers.

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