What are the OSWAs?
Now in its fifth year, these awards are here to celebrate the whiskies that we, as a united online whisky community, are enjoying together...now.
At launch in 2021, it gathered together over twenty well-established, whisky-themed channels on YouTube to create collaborative nominations for eight categories celebrating whisky and its producers. We have since expanded that concept to include over 100 other independent contributors, creators, reviewers and commenters in the online whisky sphere as well as retailers and on-trade premises, all with one thing in common; experienced guidance on exploring, sharing and recommending the best in whisky..
If you’d like to get involved, get in touch.
Is it all about Scotch Whisky?
No.
This is absolutely not restricted to scotch whisky.
Despite its title, and the majority of the contributors active in the scotch category, it is not. As scotch whisky drinkers we know there is much more to be celebrated in whisky.
Designed to be as inclusive and outward-looking as possible, the name comes from the scotch-loving community whose perspective it represents. A community who will look everywhere to uncover good value, available whiskies of high quality, regardless of their style and origin.
How It Works
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After canvassing the whisky Community for their inspiration, a core group of independent and self-funded reviewers gather to generate their selections for possible nomination.
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All of the participating online contributors take part in the refinement process. Nominations are only selected through everyone’s combined input. The Top 6 in each category become the nominations for that year.
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Once the Top 6 nominations for each of the 9 categories have been established, they are released through the nominations show and this website for a public vote. In 2025 this is scheduled for October 4th at 6pm. You can bookmark or set a reminder here via the Aqvavitae YouTube channel.
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Even after the contributors have taken their place to recommend the nominations, the public can still state their own preferences. Everyone has the optional ability during the vote to add their favourite. This generates a Top 10 “Peoples Choice” chart which is presented alongside the winners in the award ceremony.
Our Background
The online whisky community is enjoying enormous success and reach, empowered by an invested audience eager to learn and share. Nothing demonstrates this engagement more than the online creator and sharer platforms.
The OSWAs are no longer restricted to video creators, although it was this collaborative community which inspired the concept launch in 2021.
The wider online community is anchored by commenters, reviewers, writers, podcasters, social influencers and creators who have applied passion, experience and knowledge, over time, to create independent, self-funded outlets together with associated websites, feeds, channels and spaces where the community can meet and celebrate whisky in all its forms.
Together we enjoy recognising products that have met and exceeded our expectations. Many worthy releases praised by this community enjoy very positive reviews alongside increased reputation and desirability. We believe this has been a significant contributor in driving demand for quality.
Based on an original idea by Ralfy of Ralfydotcom and Roy of Aqvavitae, it is the goal of these awards to connect these creators and enthusiasts and bring together a collective list of annual awards which celebrate some of the best whiskies and producers in terms of quality, value and availability.
Through informed nominations and a selection process via reputable, established, independent contributors combined with community polling we hope to also assist producers in their goals to best meet the demands and expectations of an increasingly knowledgeable customer base.
Founders and Goals
Thanks to the online whisky community, these awards are fully independent. They are created, executed and funded by Ralfy and Roy themselves, with the support of their individual Patreon and YouTube channels.
This allows us to place integrity and quality at the forefront.
No fees are paid or received. Bottles, samples, gifts or rewards are not accepted. No sponsorships are available.
A Word on Funding
Core Values
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Integrity
Through this community-funded nomination and voting model, coupled with a strong bias towards available quality over scarce desirability, we hope to share whiskies we can all celebrate and share by the most unbiased means possible.
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Positivity
Positivity is the focus of this concept. It is not intended to garner negativity or be used as a tool to generate criticism toward the whisky industry or the talented people involved in it. It is intended to celebrate it.
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Collaboration
Online commentators, reviewers and creators are peer enthusiasts who provide guidance, opinion and advice. Through leveraging their experience, combined with public polling, we intend to uncover what the community, as a whole, is celebrating.
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Inclusivity
Despite being created from the scotch-loving community, the categories are designed to consider many styles and categories being enjoyed by everyone in the scotch whisky-loving community.
Continuous Improvement
November 2021 saw the inaugural Online Scotch Whisky Awards take place. Through feedback from the community and participants who took part, in this fifth year we intend to continue to refine and improve the model while striving to maintain the core concept and keep it simple.