A win for English whisky: Derbyshire’s White Peak Distillery’s Wire Works Bourbon Cask crowned Whisky of the Year 2026

an image of the wire works whisky bottle with two poured drams next to it

(Image credit: The Whisky Exchange)

published 3 December 2025

San Francisco may have the International Spirits Awards, but London has The Whisky Exchange’s Whisky of the Year competition. And, for the first time, to crown their 2026 winner, they put on a blind tasting for their customers.

Not swayed by the big names, not influenced by the different ages and floral tasting notes, the whiskies were presented and tested on taste alone.

In a slight twist, Wire Works Bourbon Cask from Derbyshire’s Whire Peak Distillery was crowned the winner, pitted against traditional favourites like the Glen Moray 18 and the Bowmore 15 Year Old. The decision is proof that English whisky is officially taking on traditional Scotch.

According to the testers, the whisky stood out thanks to its hint of bonfire smoke, which blended perfectly with the vanilla cheesecake, white chocolate, lemon curd, and candied ginger notes. It had a long, creamy finish.

Other winners at the competition were Hampden 1753 - a Jamaican rum which scooped up The Whisky Exchange’s coveted Spirit of the Year award for 2026, and The Heart Cut scooped up Producer of the Year.

After the recent devastation in Jamaica, The Whisky Exchange will be donating £6 from every bottle of Hampden 1753 sold to Support Jamaica - the country’s official relief fund. The rum itself is a pure single rum distilled on-site using local spring water, wild-yeast fermentation, and sopper pot stills. It has notes of ripe banana, pineapple, tropical fruit, sugar cane, herbal notes, and a touch of spice.

The Heart Cut is run by husband and wife duo Georgie and Fabrizio, and is a UK-based independent bottler that spotlights distilleries from across the globe, releasing one-off cask bottlings. It’s well known for its focused approach to cask selection and championing emerging and established distilleries.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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