Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey was crowned Worldwide Whiskey of the Year when it collected the prestigious Brown Forman Trophy at the 2009 International Wine and Spirit Competition Awards banquet in London.
The Kilbeggan 15-year-old is the first Irish whiskey to win the prestigious Brown Forman award for Worldwide Whiskey of the Year. The award was accepted by Noel Sweeney, Master Blender, Cooley Distillery, at the 40th IWSC Awards ceremony at the Guildhall in London.
Kilbeggan is a famous Irish whiskey brand steeped in heritage which comes from the oldest distillery in the world, the Kilbeggan Distillery. The Kilbeggan 15-year-old was launched in March 2007 to mark the Old Kilbeggan Distillery’s 250th anniversary.
Kilbeggan has now won back to back IWSC gold medals and has been recognised as the best in its class for two years running. Kilbeggan’s latest triumph surpasses its World Whiskies Award title of “World’s Best Blended Irish Whiskey” in 2008.
The International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC ) was founded in 1969 and is the premier awards competition for international alcohol brands. IWSC medals and trophies are the most prestigious honours awarded in the trade, representing the best of the best in the world of wine and spirits.
Jack Teeling, sales and marketing director, commented, “Kilbeggan is an outstanding whiskey and one we are very proud of. It is recognised around the world for its quality and the Brown Forman award is the highest individual accolade an Irish whiskey can hope to attain on the international stage.
Kilbeggan is an ancient brand from the golden era of Irish whiskey. It is only right that a bottling, released to celebrate the distillery’s 250th birthday, would now emerge as the world’s best whiskey. It is rewarding to see that in the current renaissance of Irish whiskey, Kilbeggan is again leading the way.”
