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Whisky Magazine Names Icons of Whisky, Hall of Fame Honorees
March 22, 2013 – Whisky Magazine announced its annual Icons of Whisky Award winners and Hall of Fame honorees Thursday evening (March 21) at a banquet on the eve of Whisky Live London. The Icons awards honor the best of the best from around the world, with regional honors for Scotland, the U.S., and the Rest of the World. The Hall of Fame is an evolution of the Lifetime Achievement Award previously given each year as part of the Icons of Whisky Awards.
The 2013 Hall of Fame class includes 5 honorees: David Grant (William Grant & Sons), Jim Rutledge (Four Roses), Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey), Richard Paterson (Whyte & Mackay), and David Urquhart (Gordon & MacPhail). Grant, Paterson, and Urquhart were honored at the London event, while Rutledge and Russell will receive their awards at the World Whiskies Conference in New York on April 4.
While the Scotland and U.S. regional Icons winners were announced previously, the evening also included the announcement of Icons winners in the Rest of the World category, which includes Ireland, Canada, Japan, India, Taiwan, and other whisky-producing countries. Irish Distillers was named Distiller of the Year, Angela Forsgren d’Orazio of Mackmyra the Ambassador of the Year, Taiwan’s Kavalan (King Car) Distillery Visitor Attraction of the Year, and Master of Malt won both Brand Innovator of the Year and Best Online Retailer honors. The Celtic Whiskey Shop in Dublin won Best Single-Outlet Retailer, and La Maison du Whisky won Best Multiple-Outlet Retailer honors.
That led up to the announcement of the Global Icons, as voted on by a panel of Whisky Magazine editors and contributors:
Whisky Distiller of the Year: Irish Distillers
Distillery Manager of the Year: Eddie McAffer of Bowmore
Distillery Visitor Center Manager of the Year: Jackie Thomson, Ardbeg
Ambassador of the Year: Iain McCallum, Morrison Bowmore
Brand Innovator of the Year: Master of Malt
Visitor Attraction of the Year: Scotch Whisky Experience (Edinburgh)
Online Retailer of the Year: Master of Malt
Single-Outlet Retailer of the Year: The Celtic Whiskey Shop (Dublin)
Multiple-Outlet Retailer of the Year: Binny’s (Chicago)
Links: Whisky Magazine
Editor’s Note: Mark Gillespie votes on both the Icons of Whisky and Hall of Fame honorees in his role as a contributing editor for Whisky Magazine.
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