These are the nominations for the 2025 Online Scotch Whisky Awards.
Over four weeks, nominations have been gathered from the community and our core contributors, before voting and refinement from over 100 supporting OSWA contributors in 2025. The results of that process are shared below.
You can help decide which wins in each category.
The 2025 Nominations
THE ONLINE SCOTCH WHISKY AWARDS
OSWA 2025 - Category one
Best Value Whisky
‘Value' is not the same as 'cheap'. These are fairly-priced whiskies that offer great quality and help people take their first steps, yet still provide great value sipping for experienced drinkers. There is no guide on price, it is based on what you feel best provides value where you are.
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Ardnamurchan AD/Sherry Cask
50% | ~£65
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Benromach 10 year old
43% | ~£42
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Craigellachie 13 year old
46% | ~£54
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Glencadam 10 year old
46% | ~£45
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Signatory Vintage 100º Proof Series
57.1% | ~£48
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Thompson Bros Mystery Malt Series
48.5% | £65
OSWA 2025 - Category two
Best Blended Whisky
Blends are not all about mass-market consistency. It's often said a truly great blend can deliver an experience greater than the sum of its parts. Some of the most celebrated whiskies are blended whiskies. This is their category.
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Cadenhead's 7 Stars Blended Scotch
46% | ~£40
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Compass Box Nectarosity Blended Scotch
46% | ~£55
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Living Souls 99&1 Blended Scotch
46.3% | ~£55
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Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch
46% | ~£32
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Nikka from the Barrel Blended Whisky
51.4% | ~£45
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Thompson Bros TB/BSW 6yo Blended Scotch
46% | ~£35
OSWA 2025 - Category three
Best Blended Malt Whisky
Malt blends. Where blended whiskies utilise different grains, these use only different malts. Blended malt is a fast-growing category. Some of the most interesting and attainable releases in recent times have been blended malts.
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Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt Scotch
46% | ~£40
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Compass Box Crimson Casks Blended Malt Scotch
46% | ~£65
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Compass Box Orchard House Blended Malt Scotch
46% | ~£47
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North Star Campbeltown Connections Blended Malt Scotch
50.1% | ~£50
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Old Perth Palo Cortado Blended Malt Scotch
55.8% | ~£58
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Thompson Bros Sutherland 5yo Blended Malt Scotch
48.5% | ~£90
OSWA 2025 - Category Four
Best Non-Malt Whisky
It's not all about malt. There's more than one kind of whisky. This category is open to all grain types, excluding malt: rye, corn, wheat and anything else is included, opening up many other styles of whisky.
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon
60%+ | ~£115
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Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof
60% | ~£74
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Millstone 100 Dutch Single Rye
50% | ~£98
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Old Forester 1920 Prohibition
57.5% | ~£80
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Power's John's Lane 12 year old Single Pot Still Irish
46% | ~£62
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Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon
60%+ | ~£100+
OSWA 2025 - Category five
Best Distillery
It's where it's made. Which producers are bringing the best whiskies in 2024? Many are committed to available and affordable quality, while others chase what the market will stand. We celebrate the former.
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Ardnamurchan Distillery
Western Highlands, Scotland
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Benromach Distillery
Speyside, Scotland
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Bruichladdich Distillery
Islay, Scotland
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Glasgow Distillery
Lowlands, Scotland
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Loch Lomond Distillery
Southern Highlands, Scotland
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Springbank Distillery
Campbeltown, Scotland
OSWA 2025 - Category six
Best New Distillery
More choice than ever before. We are experiencing an unprecedented time of growth in whisky, with many new products coming from new, independent producers. With this category, we’d like to highlight new producers, who have been founded in the last ten years, in recognition of their achievements.
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Ardnahoe Distillery
Islay, Scotland
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Glasgow Distillery
Lowlands, Scotland
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Holyrood Distillery
Lowlands, Scotland
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Lagg Distillery
Lowlands, Scotland
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Lochlea Distillery
Lowlands, Scotland
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White Peak Distillery
Derbyshire, England
OSWA 2025 - Category seven
Best Independent Bottler
All about the indies. We are privileged in whisky in that we can enjoy our favourite spirit not only through the official releases but also from independent bottlers with a different take on things. Focusing on quality at a fair price, we award the indies who have excelled.
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Cadenhead's
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Gordon & MacPhail
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Living Souls
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Signatory Vintage
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Thompson Bros
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Watt Whisky
OSWA 2025 - Category eight
Best World Whisky
So much more than Scotch. This category celebrates the best the world has to offer. We are experiencing an unprecedented explosion in global whisky brands and this category recognises this phenomenon with products from any country, anywhere. It must be defined as whisky or whiskey.
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Chichibu Ichiro's Malt On the Way
54.5% | ~£275
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Circumstance Organic Single Grain Whisky Series
45%+ | ~£45
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon
60%+ | ~£115
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Filey Bay IPA Cask English Single Malt
46% | ~£65
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Wire Works Bourbon Barrel English Single Malt
53.4% | ~£65
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Nikka Yoichi Japanese Single Malt
45% | ~£76
OSWA 2025 - Category nine
Best Scotch Whisky
The cream of the crop. This scotch whisky should be something that is attainable, offers value and is something special. Here we celebrate our scotch whisky community with the best the category has to offer.
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Bruichladdich 18 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch
50% | ~£150
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Craigellachie 17 year old Speyside Single Malt Scotch
46% | ~£120
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Deanston 18 year old Highland Single Malt Scotch
46.3% | ~£95
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Glen Scotia 15 year old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch
46% | ~£65
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Springbank 12 year old Cask Strength Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch
55%+ | ~£80
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Springbank 18 year old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch
46% | ~£110
Some images used with kind permission of Royal Mile Whiskies