We were absolutely delighted to have been invited along to the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards last night - a glittery setup at the Sheraton in Edinburgh.

The event welcomed over 400 guests to celebrate and to hear who had been crowned the best in the wide-ranging competition which assesses taste and business performance.

A 3 course dinner was paired with 3 exceptional whiskies

• Starter of Roulade of cured sea trout Loch Etive and brown shrimp, Pickle mooli and cucumber salad, lemon, dill mayonnaise and rye croute was paired with Isle of Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt

• Mains of Loin of Cairngorm red deer, braised turnip, berry & mustard seed, pressed heritage potato dauphinoise and crispy kale was paired with Benromach 10 Year Old Single Malt

• Desert of Saffron poached pear on pistachio frangipane tart with Stilton ice cream and pumpkin and sunflower seed wafer was paired with Cragganmore 15 Year Old Single Malt 150th Anniversary

Other fabulous whisky cocktails and a G&T on the night included

• Craigellachie Whisky - The Old Soul : The Pineapple note found in Craigellachie has become a distinctive part of their character, which is highlighted and celebrated in their twist on an Old Fashioned

• The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old Whisky Highball : A refreshing whisky highball with flavours of Butterscotch and Honey and a delicate hint of mocha served with Fever Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale and garnished with orange zest

• Highland Park - Salted Honey Old Fashioned : Highland Park 12 Year Old Viking Honour is the heart and soul of the brand. This Old Fashioned emphasises the salty, heather honey notes of Highland Park 12 Year Old

• Eden Mill Original Gin - Served with Fentimans tonic and garnished with pink grapefruit

But onto the winners:

Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year 2019 was presented to The GlenAllachie Distillery in recognition of an outstanding year of business and after winning five medals in the blind tasting competition. The distillery has successfully served a full range of single malt into the market, opened a visitor centre and created a strong distribution network.  Their awards haul included two gold medals for their 18 and 12 year old single malts. Craigellachie, Glen Scotia, Highland Park and Loch Lomond Distilleries were also nominated in the category.

Angus-based Arbikie Distilling collected the award for the Newcomer of the Year and were applauded by the judging panel for their field to bottle ethos and innovative approach.  They also collected a silver medal for Arbikie Highland Rye in the single grain category.

Other winners on the night included Johnnie Walker White Walker for their Game Of Thrones campaign whilst the Glasgow Distillery Company triumphed with multiple awards for their recently launched 1770 Single Malt.

The awards also recognised one of the whisky industry’s most accomplished scientific and technical advisers with a special award presented posthumously to Dr Jim Swan.  The award for outstanding contribution to Scotch whisky was accepted by Dr Swan’s daughters and was presented in recognition of his forty-year career as a research scientist and trusted adviser to whisky distilleries around the world.  The award will be presented annually as The Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky to an individual making a significant contribution to the Scotch Whisky industry.

All the winners:

• Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year - The GlenAllachie Distillery

• Newcomer of the Year - Arbikie Distillery

• Newcomer of the Year - HIGHLY COMMENDED: Kingsbarns Distillery

• Single Malt No Age Statement - Glen Scotia Double Cask - GOLD

• Single Malt No Age Statement - 1770 - SILVER

• Single Malt No Age Statement - Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour - BRONZE

• Single Malt Under 12 Year Old - Laphroaig 10 Year Old - GOLD

• Single Malt Under 12 Year Old - Highland Park 10 Year Old Viking Scars - SILVER

• Single Malt Under 12 Year Old - The GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength - BRONZE

• Single Malt 12 Year Old - The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old - GOLD

• Single Malt 12 Year Old - Loch Lomond 12 Year Old - SILVER

• Single Malt 12 Year Old - Jura 12 Year Old - BRONZE

• Single Malt 13-16 Year Old - Bowmore 15 Year Old - GOLD

• Single Malt 13-16 Year Old - Glen Scotia 15 Year Old - SILVER

• Single Malt 13-16 Year Old - Benromach 15 year old - BRONZE

• Single Malt 17-20 Year Old - The GlenAllachie 18 Year Old - GOLD

• Single Malt 17-20 Year Old - Arran 18 Year Old - SILVER

• Single Malt 17-20 Year Old - Highland Park 18 Year Old Viking Pride - BRONZE

• Single Malt 21 Year Old and Over - Tomatin 35 Year Old, Gleann Mor Spirits Co - GOLD

• Single Malt 21 Year Old and Over - Bunnahabhain 26 Year Old, Gleann Mor Spirits Co - SILVER

• Single Malt 21 Year Old and Over - Aberfeldy 21 Year Old Madeira Cask - BRONZE

• Blended Malt Under 12 Year Old - The Loch Fyne The Living Cask Batch 7 - GOLD

• Blended Malt Under 12 Year Old - MacNair's Lum Reek Peated - SILVER

• Blended Malt Under 12 Year Old - The Hive, Wemyss Vintage Malts - BRONZE

• Blended Malt 12 Year Old and Over - Expedition, Ardgowan Distillery - GOLD

• Blended Malt 12 Year Old and Over - Islay 21 year Old, Gleann Mor Spirits Co - SILVER

• Blended Malt 12 Year Old and Over - MacNair's Lum Reek Peated 12 Year Old - BRONZE

• Blended Whisky Up To 12 Year Old - The Clansman - GOLD

• Blended Whisky Up To 12 Year Old - The Famous Grouse Smoky Black - SILVER

• Blended Whisky Up To 12 Year Old - The High Commissioner 7 Year Old - BRONZE

• Speciality Whisky - Glen Garioch Virgin Oak - GOLD

• Speciality Whisky - Tamdhu Batch Strength 004 - SILVER

• Speciality Whisky - Treasurer's Selection Buichladdich 2004, Robert Graham - BRONZE

• Single Grain Whisky - John Crabbie 50 Year Old - GOLD

• Single Grain Whisky - Highland Rye - SILVER

• Single Grain Whisky - Loch Lomond - BRONZE

• Product Launch of the Year - Johnnie Walker White Walker (Game of Thrones, HBO)

• Product Launch of the Year - HIGHLY COMMENDED: 1770

• Excellence in Branding - 1770

• Brand Experience of the Year - The Grand Tour, Glen Scotia, Loch Lomond Group

• Tourism Destination of the Year - Isle of Raasay Distillery

• Tourism Destination of the Year -HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Clydeside Distillery

• Community Contribution of the Year - Ardnamurchan Distillery

Full results in the competition were unveiled for the first-time last night after being held as a closely guarded secret since the business and taste competitions were carried out in May.  In the taste sessions, adjudicated by the international sensory management consultancy, Cara Technology, over 100 whiskies were blind tasted and scored by a 32-strong judging panel from the UK, mainland Europe and Asia.

The awards are supported by commercial sponsors including Shawbrook Bank and Bruce Stevenson and will now become an annual fixture. They will be hosted in Glasgow next year, were also a fundraiser for two charities; The BEN, the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by rugby legend Doddie Weir to help improve the lives of those affected by Motor Neurone Disease.

Thanks to the Scottish Whisky Awards and KD Media for a wonderful evening and we hope to see you all again next year.