The Devil’s Keep wins best Irish single malt without an age statement

When I started The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. I set my sights, and my heart, on winning the world’s best whiskey at the World Whiskies Awards. Some might have said I was aiming too high. But I knew that our innovative crafting techniques and willingness to push boundaries were creating exceptional whiskeys. We narrowly missed out on entering The Devil’s Keep last year in order to allow it an extra week in virgin Hungarian oak so it’s safe to say I’ve been counting down to this year’s awards.

Which is why it gives me such great pleasure to announce that The Devil’s Keep has won Best Single Malt whiskey in Ireland under the no age statement category from The World Whiskies Awards! As an added bonus, entering this year allowed us to enter not only The Devil’s Keep, but also The Taoscán and The Brollach. I knew they were all extraordinary whiskeys, but now that quality has been recognised by an esteemed panel of independent judges as well. Not only did The Devil’s Keep win Best Single Malt whiskey in Ireland in the no age statement category, but The Taoscán was awarded Silver, and our third release, The Brollach took Bronze.

My ambition to see one of my whiskeys crowned the best whiskey in the world is one step closer. The Devil’s Keep will now go forward to fly the flag for Ireland at the finals of The World Whiskies Awards on 24th March where it will be up against gold standard single malts from over 17 countries worldwide, all looking to take the title as the world’s best whiskey. 

The Devil’s Keep was in the company of strong contenders and to become the category winner, it saw off competition from Teeling Whiskey Single Malt, Method and Madness Single Malt, The Whistler P.X. I Love You and Writers’ Tears Red Head.  

Of course, this is no ordinary whiskey. It was crafted using techniques that spare no expense in the pursuit of perfection; underfilling the barrels, adding water before finishing instead of diluting the rich flavours before bottling, and it is surrounded by scientifically perfected accessories that raise the whole experience. Its journey through American, Hungarian and French Oak imparted rich aromas of spice, ripe banana and sherry-soaked raisins while a sweet golden honey mingles with Amarone and accents of dark cherries that add a velvety softness on the palate.

Entering it into the no age statement category was in keeping with my belief that age statements have no bearing on the quality of a whiskey, and may even risk missing the point of perfection. The Devil’s Keep was bottled two weeks shy of 30 years. Most others would have waited to achieve that 30-year age statement but I have no doubt that if we’d done that, the flavours would have been out of balance, with the oak beginning to overpower the other notes. 

It’s those techniques, the willingness to question convention and the resulting complexity in flavour and aroma that have delivered such praise for The Devil’s Keep. The World Whiskies Award is one in a long list of awards that includes a Gold award from the world-renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2021 and a Gold from the Global Luxury Spirit Masters 2021. 

While the first release of The Devil’s Keep sold out in record time, we’ll be releasing a limited number of bottles in the coming months. Although this release will only be available to Whiskey & Wealth Club members, I’m pleased that more people will have the opportunity to taste and experience The Devil’s Keep.  

The World Whiskies Awards will be held on Thursday 24th March.