The Oline Scotch Whisky Awards (OSWA) is an online whisky competition led by the YouTube whisky community. The competition brings together whiskies from various brands, from which eight best winners will be selected through online public voting, including winery selection in addition to the whisky award.
Unlike other whisky competitions, OSWA is open to everyone, it is no longer a stage for professional critics, but a platform for enthusiast groups, so that everyone can see more bluntly what is the popular whisky now.
The winery can also feel the changes in the future market through these results, understand the taste preferences and price demands of our enthusiasts, so as to make timely adjustments to better meet the needs and expectations of customer groups.
A total of 3140 people participated in the voting, of which 99.5% were whisky lovers. In recent years, the whisky community at YouTube has exploded, also known as WhiskyTube. The platform unites groups from various channels to hold this online voting competition, and the channels that can participate in voting are as follows:
Let's take a look at the eight best winners of this competition.
Best Entry-Level Single Malt Whisky of 2021
艾伦10年（Isle of Arran 10yo）
Under this category, a total of 3,062 people voted, except for 2.5 percent who abstained, and another 28 percent who voted for Allen for 10 years. With an alcohol content of 46% abv, a capacity of 700ml and a 10-year-old wine, the whisky has a strong aroma of vanilla and citrus to create a smooth and mellow flavour.
Also under the category, Bunnahabhain 12 finished second; Ardbeg 10 came third; Deanston 12 ranked fourth; Glencadam 10 ranked fifth; and Highland Park 12 ranked sixth.
It can be seen that in the common basic model, Alan has won the favor of many.
Best Blend scotch whisky of 2021
Johnnie Walker Green Label Blended Malt Whisky
Johnny received a green card
Under this category, 2,071 people voted, with a whopping 34 percent abstention, while Johnnie Gaveaway received the best title with a green card of 17.1 percent. Blended whisky with an alcohol content of 43% abv, this blended whisky is made from at least 15 years of original wine and has aromas of fresh fringe, fruit, wood tobacco, vanilla and sandalwood.
Also under the category, compass box spice tree came in second; Scallywag came in third; Compass Box Peat Monster came in fourth; Compass Box Flaming Heart came in fifth; and Cutty Sark prohibition came in sixth.
The abstention rate of blended whisky is very high, and it seems that it is really difficult for everyone to choose to reconcile whisky.
Best Non Malt/Grain Whisky of 2021
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Will Phoenix Rare Kentucky Pure Bourbon
A total of 1961 people voted in this category, with 37.5% choosing to abstain and another 19% choosing Wei Phoenix. With an alcohol content of 58.4% abv and a capacity of 750ml, it has sweet tobacco, light orange and mint flavors.
In addition, under the category, Wild Turkey 101 won second; Teeling Single Grain finished third; Compass Box Hedonism finished fourth; Balcones True Blue Cask Strength ranked fifth; and Bain's cape mountain ranked sixth.
Bourbon won under this category, and The Phoenix took first and second places.
Best Winery of 2021
Springbank Distillery
Genting Winery
A total of 2967 people in this category voted, and apart from those who abstained from 5.5%, Genting won the Best Winery with 29.9% of the vote. Founded in 1828 and located in Campbelltown, Genting Distillery has maintained a handmade process, and at present Genting's wines are arguably the highest in terms of collection and investment value, and are well received by enthusiasts.
In addition, the Arran winery was second in the category; GlenAllachie was third; Bruichladich was fourth; Bunnahabhain was fifth; and Deanston was sixth.
It's no surprise that Genting has come first, as it's very popular among enthusiasts, collectors and investors, while other wineries have done very well.
Best Independent Bottlinger of 2021
Signatory Vintage
St. Foley.com
Signatory Vintage, a well-known Scottish independent bottler, came out on top with 25.5% of the vote.
Founded in 1988, the IB company has grown to become one of Scotland's top IB brands thanks to an extensive wine selection strategy and high-quality single-barrel bottling. In addition, it owns the Edradour winery and revives the Ballechin brand in the same region.
Gordon & MacPhail, the world's oldest independent bottler, SMWS, known for its "association wine," and Douglas Laing & Co, which brands according to the flavor of the appellation, are close behind.
Best New Distillery Plant of 2021
Ardnamurchan
Ed McCann
The winery in Scotland's high-end estate area, which only went into production in 2014, is probably the most remote continental distillery. But because it was built by independent bottler Adelphi, it is quite sophisticated in every way. The distillery produces both peat-free and peat whiskies and is known for producing "Western Highlands" style whiskies.
In this vote, Ardnamurchan won the crown with 23.4% of the vote, while Irish winery Waterford, which is concerned about terroir, and Torabhaig, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, won 2 and 3 places respectively. It is worth noting that 42.6% of the people chose to abstain in this vote, perhaps because they did not know much about the new winery and gave up voting out of a sense of responsibility?
Best World Whisky of 2021
Redbreast 15YO
Robin 15 years
Winner of the selection for 15 years, the Irish whisky robin of the Pernod Ricard Group, is a wine made by Ireland's unique single-pot distillation process with intense fruity notes, manuka honey, creamy hard candy and mint flavours and creamy smoothness.
American bourbon Elijah Craig barrel proof, British single malt whisky Cotswolds odyssey barley and Indian whisky Amrut fusion are close behind. For Chinese whisky lovers, in addition to the robin, several other models will seem to feel a little strange.
Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky of 2021
Isle of Arran 10yo
Allen 10 years
This award should be the most concerned award for everyone, and it is also the second award that Arran 10yo has won in this competition. As the wine that won the WWA Gold Award for two consecutive years, Allen narrowly beat Glen Allachie 10YO Cask Strength with 22% of the vote in 10 years to win the first place.
On the whole, the gap between each wine in the selection is not large, grand Victoria Commemorative Edition, Thyska 18 years, Langelo 18 years, Laforg 10 years of sherry barrels, each of which is a cost-effective single wheat, all have their own fans. And this also shows how bloody the "Best Single Malt Scotch Whisky" rating is.
OSWA2021 has come to an end, which is arguably the most accessible whisky competition for whisky lovers, and the results it presents seem to be more representative of the fans' preferences.
You can also choose your favorite wine from these results, those professional whisky critics may not have the same taste choice as us fans, I believe that there is always one of the results that will resonate with you, you can also comment, who is your favorite wine?
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