The World’s Best Whisky Has Been Named and Scotland is Displeased
Scotland doesn't even have a whisky in the world's top five
The best whisky in the world is “near indescribable genius.” It scores 97.5 marks out of 100. It is also not Scottish. That’s according to Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015, a highly regarded ranking of fine global whisky. Specifically, reports the Telegraph, the top title belongs to Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, from Japan’s oldest whiskey distillery, Suntory, founded in 1923.
世上最好喝的威士忌近乎無法形容的天才好喝. 100分中他得分97.5分. 而且不是蘇格蘭出品. 根據2015 Jim Murray威士忌聖經, 被推崇為全球頂級威士忌, 來自日本山得利(1923創立)出品的山崎威士忌
What’s more, for the first time in the 12 years the Whisky Bible has been published, not a single Scottish whisky makes the bible’s top five. If that wasn’t bad enough for Scotland, which along with Ireland is the spiritual home of the drink, the best European whisky in the latest edition is English.
還有, 在威士忌年度聖經中連續12年, 蘇格蘭威士忌都不在首選前五名中.
The Whisky Bible describes the winning Yamazaki whisky as “rich and fruity,” with a nose of “exquisite boldness” and finish of “light, teasing spice.” Just 18,000 bottles were made — it is sold out on the bible’s online shop, and it is available in just a few specialist shops in the U.K. for about $160.
威士忌年度聖經形容得獎的山崎, 醇香富果香味, 有種獨特的直接坦白, 但又留有輕盈帶有點辣的餘味. 只生產18000瓶, 在威士忌聖經專屬網站銷售一空. 目前在英國幾個專賣店有賣, 一瓶標價$160
American whiskies take second and third prize, including repeat second-place winner William Larue Weller, a Kentucky bourbon.
而美國威士忌排第二, 第三名, 包括連續第二名來自肯塔基的贏家William Larue Weller
So what about auld Scotland? A Scottish whisky — the 19-year-old single malt Glenmorangie Ealanta — took the top spot just last year, also getting 97.5 marks.
那蘇格蘭呢? 蘇格蘭威士忌, 19年單麥Glenmorangie Ealanta, 去年有得獎, 得分也是97.5分
But the book’s author, Jim Murray, writes that though hundreds of Scottish whiskies were among the more than 1,000 samples he tried from all around the world this year, they fell flat.
“Where were the complex whiskies in the prime of their lives?,” he wonders, calling this year’s rankings a “wake up call” for Scottish brands.
Ron Taylor, an independent wine and spirit judge and educator, tells TIME it’s no surprise that a Japanese whiskey took first place in Murray’s list, since Japanese whiskies regularly win prestigious competitions, even in Scotland.
Still, Taylor also said that rankings often reflect the taster’s personal preferences. Indeed, Taylor describes Japanese single malts as like a Lexus —“beautifully crafted, no vibration, smooth, consistent and always pleasing” — while their Scottish counterparts are more akin to a Maserati.
“The Scottish whiskeys, they’ll knock you around and slap you around the face a little bit,” says Taylor, who is from Scotland, but calls himself “a non partisan” drinker.
He also notes that Suntory, which makes the winning Japanese whiskey, also produces whiskey brands around the world — including, in fact, multiple Scottish whiskies.
文章定位：
