They're here!!! The 2008 BiG Award Nominees!!

We've cogitated, conversed and consulted for...oh, at least a week now and it gives us great pleasure to finally announce the inaugural 'Best In Glass' award nominees- and what a cracking line up it is. As mentioned in one of our previous posts, the main criteria for this prestigious award (we like to big things up a little!) is that the whisky must have been commercially released this year and is not a 'restricted bottling'- ie, a club, festival or society bottling. We shall be announcing the overall winner in the first week of December, but one thing is for sure; they all represent the pinnacle of fantastic whisky making. For the rest of this month we shall be re-reviewing all ten whiskies (with new postings of the Karuizawa, Lavavulin, Longrow & Highland Park) to look for those minuscule pointers that will lead to the eventual overall winner.

Whilst clearly ranging in price, we felt that this list balances age, refinement and value for money very well indeed- please feel free to add your comments on the nominees and let us know if there's anything you feel we've missed off, or was more deserving of a nomination:

Ardbeg Renaissance

Berry Bros & Rudd Port Ellen 1982

Bruichladdich 'Peat'

Glenmorangie Astar

Highland Park 40 year old

Karuizawa cask 6878 distilled in 1971

Lagavulin 12 year old 2008 release
Longrow 18 year old
Single Malts of Scotland Rosebank 16 year old
Springbank Vintage 1997 Oddbins cask no. 789

Stay tuned for the result and the winners tearful acceptance speech!!