Yorkshire whisky distillery celebrates IWSC gold medals
The team at Yorkshire's first single malt whisky distillery is celebrating after winning eight prestigious spirits awards, including two coveted gold medals, at the 2025 International Wines and Spirits Competition (IWSC).
The medal haul for the Hunmanby, North Yorkshire, distillery included two gold, three silver, and three bronze awards, making it the English distillery with the most medals in the ‘Whiskey - Worldwide' category of the annual competition.
Filey Bay Flagship Single Malt Whisky and Moscatel Finish #4 won gold medals, Filey Bay Peated Finish #3, IPA Finish and Orange Wine Barrique won silver, and bronze medals were awarded to Filey Bay Nurture, Heritage and STR Finish #4.
Of the results, Spirit of Yorkshire's MD and Co-founder, David Thompson said:"The IWSC celebrates excellence in whisky from around the globe. With a distinguished panel of judges and a commitment to quality, these awards recognise the craftsmanship, diversity, and innovation within the whisky industry. We're delighted and proud that Filey Bay Whisky excelled against tough competition to win eight awards. Filey Bay Flagship and Moscatel Finish #4 stood out, earning 95-points each.
"We're particularly pleased that Filey Bay Nurture, which celebrates our field to bottle ethos and regenerative farming practices, won a bronze medal. "
The judges' feedback for the gold medal winning Filey Bay Flagship was: "A delicate nose reveals nutty tones, spirited grain, and a hint of marzipan. The palate layers sweet cream, nutmeg, and subtle sour fruit, while the finish lingers with toffee and savoury oak" and for Filey Bay Moscatel Finish #4, it was: "Fragrant Muscat and crisp apple aromas with elegant hints of white flowers and orange. Decadent caramel and toffee lead the palate, supported by an earthy spice. A well-balanced tipple with a candied, memorable finish."
The IWSC was launched by wine chemist, Anton Massel as a competition created to reward excellence in wine and spirit production.It has grown to become one of the largest competitions of its kind in the world. Spirits are evaluated on a 100-point scale, with awards given for Gold Outstanding (98-100 points), Gold (95-97 points), Silver (90-94 points), and Bronze (85-89 points).
Spirit of Yorkshire's range of single malt whisky is available online at spiritofyorkshire.com, from the distillery shop and specialist retailers nationwide and in 14 countries worldwide. Filey Bay whisky can now be bought in principal cities including Tokyo, Quebec, New York, Rome, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Paris.
Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery is Yorkshire's first single malt whisky distillery and is one of only a handful of distilleries worldwide that grows 100% of the barley for its whisky production.
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Photograph caption: Spirit of Yorkshire whisky director, Joe Clark and MD David Thompson Joe Clark and David Thompson
For more information or to arrange an interview with David Thompson please contact Tracey Baty at three60 marketing on:
Direct line:01430 871360
Mobile: 07971 961574
Email: traceybaty@three60marketing.co.uk
Notes to editors
- For more information about Spirit of Yorkshire, please visit https://www.spiritofyorkshire.com/
- For more information about the IWSC competition, please visit https://iwsc.net/