The results of this year’s WWA09 have been announced:

Best Whisky Liqueur: Wild Turkey American Honey
Best grain whisky: Compass Box Hedonism
Best new release: Highland Park 40 years old
Best blended malt: Taketsuru 21 years old
Best American whisky: Thomas H. Handy Sazerac
Best single malt whisky: Highland Park 21 years old

This year, the crown jewels for best single malt have returned to Scotland, after being in Japan in 2008 (for their Yoichi 20y). I’m sure Highland Park 21y is a very decent malt, although I haven’t tried it. I have a bottle that’s still closed. This seems like a good opportunity to open it and see what the fuzz is all about. If you want one yourself, you’ll have to travel, since it’s only available in travel retail.

Other prize winners in some of the sub-categories: Tyrconnell single cask as the best Irish single malt, Lagavulin 16y as best Islay peated malt, Glenlivet Archive 21y as the best Speysider, Mackmyra First Edition as best “Other” single malt… In fact, there are so many sub-categories that your favourite malt has probably won some prize or another!