We are delighted to announce that The Big Smoke 60 Islay Blended Malt and Black Bull 10 Year Old Rum Finish scooped SILVER medals in this year's International Spirits Challenge (ISC).

The Big Smoke 60 also won GOLD in last year's World Whisky Awards marking it as one of the best Islay blended malts in the market.

Black Bull 10 Year Old Rum Cask Finish has also been acquiring recognition since its launch in January 2018. It won a SILVER IWSC medal last year and was the category winner BEST SCOTCH BLENDED LIMITED RELEASE in the 2019 World Whisky Awards announced at the end of March.

Such an accolade from the ISC is regarded to be the most respected and sought after in the drinks industry, due to the stringent nature of the judging process. Both products passed a scrupulous blind tasting by a world renowned expert panel of specialist judges to beat strong competition to win prestigious silver medals. The quality of our products' craftsmanship and liquid is reflected in this superb result.

Awards Organiser Justin Smith said: “This ISC grows every year, with producers entering a diverse mix of spirits from across the globe who are looking to benchmark their spirit at the very highest level”.

Now in its 24th year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe. The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits and designs entered into the competition each year. Receiving more than 1,700 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide, the ISC is a truly global competition. It is supported by many of the world's leading spirits producers as the international standard for quality and excellence.

For the Tasting Awards, a highly controlled operation is held over fifteen days of intense blind tastings by panels of more than 50 respected and experienced industry professionals. Samples are delivered to the judging area in flights of numbered tasting glasses to ensure the accuracy of the blind tasting. Each judge assesses products according to their age, region and variety which is then determined by the entrant and verified by the chairman.

Such a precise judging process has provided the basis of the strong reputation the ISC has established for rewarding quality and celebrating excellence.

Full results have been released and published on the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) website, www.internationalspiritschallenge.com, with the full list of medal winners to be published in the ISC annual results magazine in August.