For the third straight year, a North American spirit has taken the title of “World Whisky of the Year.” Following Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye and Booker’s Rye, Colonel E.H. Taylor 4 Grain Bottled in Bond 12-Year Bourbon has been crowned the winner in the latest edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
The small-batch Buffalo Trace bottling is so named because of the four grains—corn, rye, wheat and malted barley—that Colonel Taylor worked with back in the 19th century during his days as a grain trader.
Scoring 97.5 out of 100 points, the winning bourbon received effusive praise from Murray: “Nothing could match the astonishing beauty of its surprisingly delicate weight and complexity combined. It was though time stood still in the tasting room; I just knew…”
He adds that the finish is a “slow, lightly oiled, gently spiced chocolate fade which goes on… and on.”
Second Finest Whisky of the Year went to Redbreast 21-Year, the best ever result for an Irish whiskey. It scored 97 out of 100 points, earning kudos from Murray for sporting “one of the most wonderful noses on this planet.” Glen Grant 18-Year Rare Edition was named Third Finest Whisky of the Year following its second-place finish in the 2017 edition.
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018 features more than 1,200 whiskeys tasted, and notes on more than 4,600.
Winners in select categories include:
2018 World Whisky of the Year
Colonel E.H. Taylor 4 Grain Bourbon
Second Finest Whisky in the World
Redbreast Aged 21 Years
Third Finest Whisky in the World
Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition
Scotch Whisky of the Year
Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition
Bourbon of the Year
Colonel E.H. Taylor Four Grain
Rye of the Year
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac 126.2 Proof
Wheat Whiskey of the Year
Bernheim Original
Canadian Whisky of the Year
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Japanese Whisky of the Year
Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky
Asian Whisky of the Year
Paul John Kanya (India)
Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year
Limeburner’s Dark Winter (Australia)
