The world’s best Scotch whisky, according to the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition

We’ve been busy all month announcing the “Best In Show” winners of this year’s New York World Spirits Competition. So now you should have a good idea of ​​what the judging entails and why the scores are so important to the industry. If you need a refresher, here’s a look back at last week’s bourbon exclusive. Today it’s time to examine the bottle of whiskey that earned top honors: Wee Beastie from Ardbeg Distillery on Islay.

Produced under the watchful eye of Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of whiskey creation for the brand – and a true whiskey icon with 30 years of experience – spent time maturing this unashamedly daring single malt in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The liquid was bottled at 47.4% ABV, packed with the curious assortment of hot tar, orchard fruit and pin juice aromatics that distinguish the house style.

Additionally, this year’s NYWSC judges had the following to say:

“A richly layered and expertly crafted Scotch with deep aromas of dark sugar and campfire smoke, unfolding on the palate with smoldering peat, framed by caramelized richness and sweet baking spices, accentuated by earthy undertones and a subtle edge of caramel, and ending with a long, primal elegance with the sweetness gradually emerging as the peat withdraws.”

Single malt enthusiasts, and especially fans of peat-fired examples from Islay, can’t be too surprised if Ardbeg takes home the top prize. After all, the 210-year-old facility has a beautiful backdrop and, as we mentioned above, was created by one of the most exalted names in the industry. It was only two years ago that these New York judges crowned the same brand of whiskey as champions for the 25-year-old release.

But the standout aspect of this year’s winner isn’t its origins. It’s age, or lack thereof. Wee Beastie is just a 5 year old expression of single malt. And we are proud of that, because the age indication is clearly shown on the sleek black label. This is super rare in the Scottish world, where releases often omit no age statements at all if the whiskey has less than 10 years of barrel aging.

For generations, whiskey experts and professional tasters have reminded the general public that age statements are all too often overemphasized. Just because a whiskey is older doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better. This truth is often underlined by heavily peated releases, where the assertiveness of the underlying phenolic notes is vividly expressed in the younger offerings. There are striking examples from Octomore, a series of extremely smoky Bruichladdich releases that are often less than ten years old, and from Lagavulin 8 Year Old.

Now the truthful age statement can point to Wee Beastie and his performance at the NYWSC 2025 as another powerful testimony. The release actually harkens back to earlier expressions from the early 2000s, shortly after LVMH acquired the distillery (along with Glenmorangie). At the time, there was hardly any supply of older stock, as production had slowed to a trickle since 1981. Lumsden partially revived the brand with releases like Still Young and Almost There, highlighting its bold, smoky corporate identity while amassing enough barrels to eventually introduce to the 10-year-old flagship.

The circle is now complete with Wee Beastie, a younger whiskey that Ardbeg is therefore bottling want to to, not because needs Unpleasant. And if you feel the need to see why it compares favorably to whiskeys five times its age (and more expensive), you can easily pull the red foil-covered drink off the shelves for about an hour. $50 per bottle.

All in all, it was quite a historic ride for Dr. Lumsden, who also oversees whiskey creation for Glenmorangie. Other big winners for whiskey at the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition included:

• Best blended whisky: Black Ruby by Johnnie Walker
• Best Single Malt Scotch aged between 13 and 19 years: The Infinita 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch from Glenmorangie
• Best Non-Age Statement Single Malt: A story about spices Single Malt Scotch