Another Global Award for Scapegrace Distilling

New Zealand’s Scapegrace Distilling Co. has continued its impressive start to 2025, winning another major international accolade.

Scapegrace’s Anthem Single Malt Whisky has been awarded a gold medal at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) overnight NZT, scoring an outstanding 95 out of 100. The distillery’s Vanguard Single Malt Whisky and Gold Gin also received silver medals at the event.

It caps off a busy few months for the brand which has experienced a phenomenal awards season. Scapegrace’s Vanguard Whisky won gold at the World Whisky Awards in February, followed by another gold medal, this time for flavoured whisky ThunderDonk at the World Drinks Awards in April.

“This has been a great few months for Scapegrace, with recognition coming in from some of the biggest competitions in the world,” said Scapegrace Co-Founder Mark Neal. “To now be acknowledged by the IWSC is an incredible moment for the team and we’re incredibly proud to see our New Zealand whisky earning its place on the world stage.”

Neal says Anthem is distilled at Scapegrace’s state of the art distillery in Central Otago, with the whisky showcasing the best of New Zealand.

“We’re incredibly proud of Anthem. It’s distilled from locally grown barley, including our distinctive manuka-smoked grain, which imparts a subtle sweetness and gentle smoke. Like all our spirits, it’s cut with glacial water from the Mt Aspiring lakes and matured in the extreme climate of Central Otago, with the conditions bringing real depth and character to the final whisky.”

“It’s a beautifully smoky whisky with subtle tasting notes of spiced walnuts and cider apple. We only launched Anthem in New Zealand last month and we’re encouraging whisky lovers to grab a bottle and enjoy.” The latest accolades add to Scapegrace’s growing international reputation. In 2024, Ephemeral Whisky won Gold in the New Zealand Single Cask category at the World Whisky Awards, and in 2023 the brand received a Master Medal for its Single Malt Fortitude V Whisky at the Global Spirits Masters’ World Whisky Masters competition.

About Anthem

Cask Type: Virgin French Oak
Malt: New Zealand Smoked Manuka
Liquid: Natural Colour and Non-Chill Filtered
Tasting Notes: Spiced Walnuts, Cider Apple & Sweet Hay