Elgin-based distillery Glen Moray claims big wins at global whisky awards
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AN Elgin distillery’s head of whisky creation has claimed one of the biggest prizes in the industry.
Stephen Woodcock, of Glen Moray Distillery, was crowned Global Master Distiller of the Year at the Whisky Magazine Awards last week.
The awards celebrate the best people, places and products in the industry.
Stephen was recognised for his work on Glen Moray single malt whisky as well as the company’s blended Scotch whiskies Cutty Sark and Label 5 among others.
Stephen said: “I was extremely proud to have been given this honour in the Scottish Icons of Whisky round, but winning the global award was most unexpected and also very rewarding.
“I’m part of a really dedicated and expert team who put their all into the whiskies we release to the market for our drinkers to enjoy, and I’m so proud of them and of the brilliant brands I get to work with.”
There was more good news for the distillery as its ‘Phoenix Rising’ release triumphed as Best Scotch Speyside Single Malt.
The distillery went on to claim the highly coveted overall Best Scotch Single Malt title, competing against all other regional Scotch whisky winners to claim the prize.
Stephen added: “The double win for Glen Moray’s Phoenix Rising is also a huge accolade for our team.
“We take risks at the Distillery, experimenting with unusual casks and new flavours to honour a tradition that stretches back to the start of distilling at Glen Moray in 1897.
“We’re very pleased that the judges and wider industry have recognised the quality and superb taste of the finished whisky, and our congratulations go out to all our fellow nominees and winners in the 2024 awards.”
Stephen joined Glen Moray as Head of Whisky Creation in 2021 where he is responsible for developing the company’s portfolio of whiskies.
He previously worked at the Distell Group, where he was responsible for single malts including Deanston, Bunnahabhain and Tobermory.
Whisky Magazine has been presenting the results of its World Whiskies Awards for 24 years.
This year’s announcements represent the culmination of a rigorous blind judging process that saw more than 200 expert judges from around the globe assess more than 1500 different whiskies from over 40 countries.
