Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2017 – the winners

Posted on 17 October 2016 by Stuart

162 Comments on Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2017 – the winners

Jim Murray knows how to surprise. Two years ago, he named Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 as his World Whisky of the Year, while last year saw that honour go to Canada, with Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye taking the top gong. And now, the 2017 winner has just been announced. Jim Murray’s best whisky in the world is: Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old. Jim described it as having a ‘brain-draining, mind-blowing’ nose with a finish of ‘amazing depth’, adding that it is a ‘staggering example of a magnificent rye showing exactly what genius in terms of whiskey actually means’, scoring it 97.5/100 points.

BOOKER’S RYE 13 YEAR OLD, 68.1%

Producer’s Tasting Notes
An intense flavour profile with pronounced, well-balanced notes of wood and oak from the longer ageing process. The deep amber liquid offers a complex aroma with spicy notes from the rye in the mash bill. This uncut rye has a big bold flavour, but is not overpowering. It can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

The other big news of the 2017 Whisky Bible is that a Scottish whisky has made Jim’s World Whiskies of the Year shortlist for the first time since 2014. The runner-up is Glen Grant 18 Year Old – here is the top three:

JIM MURRAY’S 2017 WORLD WHISKIES OF THE YEAR

1. Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old

2. Glen Grant 18 Year Old

3. William Larue Weller Bourbon (Bot.2015)

The full winners list

Scotch Whisky

Scotch Whisky of the Year
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask)
That Boutique-y Whisky Co Macallan 25 Year Old Batch 5

Scotch Blend of the Year
The Last Drop 1971

Scotch Grain of the Year
Whiskyjace Invergordon 24 Year Old

Scotch Vatted Malt of the Year
Compass Box Flaming Heart 2015 Edition

Single Malt Scotch

No Age Statement (Multiple Casks)
Glenlivet Cipher

No Age Statement (Runner Up)
Port Askaig 100 Proof

10 Years & Under (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 10 Year Old

10 Years & Under (Single Cask)
Kilchoman Guze Cask Finish

11-15 Years (Multiple Casks)
Lagavulin 12 Year Old

11-15 Years (Single Cask)
The Single Cask Glentauchers 2002 14 Year Old

16-21 Years (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 18 Year Old

16-21 Years (Single Cask)
Scyfion Choice Mortlach 1996 19 Year Old (Berry Bros & Rudd)

22-27 Years (Multiple Casks)
Dalwhinnie 1989 25 Year Old Special Releases 2015

22-27 Years (Single Cask)
The Boutique-y Co Macallan 25 Year Old Batch 5

28-34 Years (Multiple Casks)
Port Ellen 1983 32 Year Old Special Releases 2015

28-34 Years (Single Cask)
Cadenhead Caol Ila 31 Year Old

35-40 Years (Multiple Casks)
Brora 37 Year Old Special Releases 2015

35-40 Years (Single Cask)
Cadenhead Glentauchers 38 Year Old

41 Years & Over (Multiple Casks)
Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1952

41 Years & Over (Single Cask)
Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 1950 65 Year Old

Blended Scotch

No Age Statement (Standard)
Ballantine’s Finest

No Age Statement (Premium)
Ballantine’s Limited

5-12 Years
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old

13-18 Years
Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Ultimate Cask Collection First Fill American Oak

19 – 25 Years
Royal Salute 21 Year Old

26 – 50 Years
The Last Drop 1971

IRISH WHISKEY

Irish Whiskey of the Year
Redbreast 21 Year Old

Irish Pot Still Whiskey of the Year
Redbreast 21 Year Old

Irish Single Malt of the Year
Bushmills 21 Year Old

Irish Blend of the Year
Jameson

Irish Single Cask of the Year
Teeling Single White Burgundy Cask 2004

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Bourbon of the Year
William Larue Weller 2015 Release

Rye of the Year
Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old

US Micro Whisky of the Year
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2009

US Micro Whisky of the Year (Runner Up)
Koval Four Grain

Bourbon

No Age Statement (Multiple Barrels)
William Larue Weller 2015 Release

No Age Statement (Single Barrel)
1792 Single Barrrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

9 Years & Under
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2009

10 Years & Over (Multiple Barrels)
Blade & Bow 22 Year Old

Rye

No Age Statement
Thomas H Handy 2015 Release

Up to 10 Years
Pikesville 110 Proof 6 Year Old Straight Rye

11 Years & Over
Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old

Wheat

Wheat Whiskey of the Year
Bernheim Original

CANADIAN WHISKY

Canadian Whisky of the Year
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

JAPANESE WHISKY

Japanese Whisky of the Year
Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 Release

Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Barrels)
Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 Release

EUROPEAN WHISKY

European Whisky of the Year (Multiple)
English Whisky Co. Chapter 14 Not Peated

European Whisky of the Year (Single)
Langatun 6 year Old Pinot Noir Cask

WORLD WHISKIES

Asian Whisky of the Year
Kavalan Solist Moscatel

Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year
Heartwood Any Port in a Storm

Posted in Scotch Whisky, WHISKY & WHISKEY
Tagged Booker's, Glen Grant, Jim Murray Whisky Bible, William Larue Weller

Comments

News: Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017 - A Tasty Dram says:

17 October 2016 at 9:58 am

[…] Billy Abbot from The Whisky Exhange did a full write up of all the winners. […]

Nieuws: Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017 - A Tasty Dram says:

18 October 2016 at 6:03 pm

[…] Billy Abbot vanThe Whisky Exhange schreef een volledige blogpost over alle winnaars. […]

The Best Whiskey in the World... According to Jim Murray | Whiskey and Wings says:

19 October 2016 at 4:08 pm

[…] There’s no shortage of whiskey recommendations, but there aren’t that many that come from as renowned a place as Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Every year, Jim Murray compiles a list of his favorite international whiskeys, and his picks always end up surprising some people. Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old is his pick for best whisky in the world this year, saying it’s a “staggering example of a magnificent rye showing exactly what genius in terms of whiskey actually means.” Second place goes to Glen Grant 18 Year Old, while third is taken by William Larue Weller Bourbon. But those are just his overall top three. He also has picks in every type of whiskey you can think of, so if you’re looking for a whiskey themed activity for the next year, sip your way through this list. […]

Whiskey Wednesday: The Best Whiskey in the World... According to Jim Murray | LegitMagazine.com says:

19 October 2016 at 4:09 pm

Jim Murray 2017 Whiskey Bible And Texas – The Spirits of TX says:

19 October 2016 at 5:22 pm

[…] that note, The Whiskey Exchange has released the cliff notes version for the 2017 Whiskey […]

Booker's Rye Named "World Whisky of the Year" by 2017 Whisky Bible says:

20 October 2016 at 6:04 pm

[…] You can see the full list of winners here. […]

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon ranked as one of the best whiskeys | Liquid says:

4 November 2016 at 3:08 pm

[…] a second year, a revered whiskey critic has given it the U.S. Micro Whisky of the Year Award in his “Whisky Bible 2017.” The whiskey-loving expert, Jim Murray, releases a book every year announcing what he believes are […]

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon ranked as one of the best whiskeys | Texas Bourbon News says:

7 November 2016 at 8:50 pm

[…] year, a revered whiskey critic has given it the U.S. Micro Whisky of the Year Award in his “Whisky Bible 2017.” The whiskey-loving expert, Jim Murray, releases a book every year announcing what he believes […]

Koval Bourbon Whiskey / Koval Four Grain – iLaddie says:

27 November 2016 at 10:13 am

[…] of everything. Not to distinct! UPDATE: 06 November 2016: HA! apparently this dram according to https://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2016/10/jim-murrays-whisky-bible-2017-the-winners/ has won the US Micro Whisky of the Year (Runner Up) award in the 2017 Jim Murray’s Whisky […]

Jim Murray’s Japanese Whisky of the Year 2017 – Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2016 | whisky-aus-japan.de says:

2 December 2016 at 10:31 pm

[…] ‚JIM MURRAY’S WHISKY BIBLE 2017 – THE WINNERS‘ auf thewhiskyexchange.com […]

There’s a new Glen in town | says:

8 March 2017 at 9:19 am

[…] Being in the business, I first heard of Glen Grant whisky when their 10 Year Old won the title of ‘Best Single Malt Scotch: 10 Years and Under’ in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015. And then again in the 2016 and 2017 editions. A pattern, I recently learnt, that started back in 2013. Basically, five consecutive years of winning the prestigious title, an achievement they trumped by also claiming 2016’s title for Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks). In 2017 Glen Grant 18 Year Old was one of the three World Whiskies of the Year! […]

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2018 – The Winners – The Whisky Exchange Whisky Blog — The Whisky Exchange Whisky Blog says:

12 October 2017 at 11:00 am

[…] it arrived on the scene a few years back, and Glen Grant 18 was Jim’s second place whisky last year. Both are worthy winners and more readily available than the EH […]

2017 Whisky Bible Names Booker's Rye "World Whisky of the Year" says:

5 January 2018 at 8:43 am

[…] You can see the full list of winners here. […]