Royal Salute, Ballantine’s and Jameson Recognized for Quality
Royal Salute, the prestige whisky from Pernod Ricard Korea, has been selected as the Best of 2022 in the whisky category at the 2022 Korea Wine and Spirits Awards. In addition, the company’s premium scotch whisky Ballantine’s and Irish whisky Jameson won the grand prize in their respective categories, bringing the company a total of four awards.
Hosted by ChosunBiz, the 2022 Korea Wine and Spirits Awards is Korea’s top liquor awards. The awards include seven categories: traditional liquor, soju, beer, whisky, spirits, wine, and sake, with whisky divided into 17 sub-categories. Whiskies from Pernod Ricard Korea were selected as the winner in four sub-categories.
Royal Salute 21-Years-Old The Malts Blend won the Best of 2022 in the whisky category. The Malts Blend is the first blended malt whisky produced by Royal Salute since its launch in 1953. It is blended with precious malts matured for a minimum of 21 years. It imparts a powerful and artistic depth of flavor, including of citrus fruit, created in collaboration between a master blender and a world-renowned perfumer. In particular, the sensuous modern package design reflecting the elegant brand world of Royal Salute is fascinating enough to attract the dynamic young emerging consumers of prestige whisky. This product also received the grand prize in the sub-category of blended super premium whisky (17 years old or above), proving its excellent quality.
In addition, Ballantine’s 23 Years Old, which debuted in 2019, jointly won the grand prize in the blended super premium whisky sub-category (17 years old or above), the first-ever grand prize awarded to the product in this sub-category. Ballantine’s master blender Sandy Hyslop hand-selected every whisky, each matured for at least 23 years, for this aromatic blend. It delivers unique premium sweet flavors of ripe fruit perfectly harmonized with soft buttery caramel and vanilla. With the brand’s lineup expansion, Ballantine’s 23 Years Old is positioned between Ballantine’s time-honored signature products of 21 and 30 years old to offer consumers an opportunity to expand their options and choose a Ballantine’s whisky best suited for their palate.
Ballantine’s single malt Glenburgie 12 Years Old took home the grand prize in the single malt premium whisky sub-category (between 12 years old and 16 years old). Introduced to Korea in 2019, it is produced in the Glenburgie distillery, which boasts along tradition going back more than 200 years. It fills the mouth with sweet flavors of soft toffee and apple perfectly harmonized with the aromas of rich vanilla and dark fruit from American oak. What makes Ballantine’s single malt truly special is its uniquely harmonious combination of tradition and modernity. It also won the grand prize in the premium single malt sub-category (between 12 years old and 16 years old) at the 2020 Korea Wine and Spirits Awards. Ballantine’s is now being recognized for its superb quality not just in the blended whisky sub-category, but for its single malt whisky as well.
Jameson Black Barrel, a premium offering from the world’s no. 1 Irish whisky has won the grand prize in the blended standard whisky category (below 12 years old). It is a blend of Irish pot still whisky and rare, small-batch grain whisky produced only once per year, offering a particularly creamy finish. It is matured in a combination of twice-charred sherry casks, bourbon barrels, and American oak to provide rich and complex but smooth flavors. It won a Double Gold Medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Best Blended Irish Whiskey at the Irish Whiskey Awards in 2017 and 2019.
Frantz Hotton, CEO and president of Pernod Ricard Korea, commented, “We are very grateful for these awards since they feel like a recognition of our hard work and efforts to present the highest quality whiskies in the world. With the growing number of consumers developing a discerning taste in whisky, Pernod Ricard Korea is giving its all to provide consumers with a wide range of high-quality whiskies.”