Indian single malt whiskies win laurels at Las Vegas Global Spirit Awards — here are the winners

The 2025 Las Vegas Global Spirits Awards showcased the rising prominence of Indian single malts on the global stage, with four out of five finalist slots in the world whiskey category secured by different Indian whiskies.

This US-based, industry-run competition evaluates spirits' features through fully blind tastings by a panel of veteran judges from various professions, including distillers, buyers, bartenders, educators and media.

Entries are flighted by style and assessed on a 100-point framework, based on their appearance, aroma, palate, balance and finish. Judges also release brief descriptions of the finalists, along with tasting notes on why these whiskies were selected among the world’s best, Fortune reported.

Indri’s Diwali Collector's Edition wins accolades

The winner of the competition, securing top honours as the Best World Whisky with a near-perfect score of 99.1 points, was Piccadily Distilleries' Indri’s Diwali Collector's Edition 2025, Marsala Cask Finish (60% ABV).

The name is derived from its production place, Indri, Haryana. Made from Indian six-row barley using traditional copper pot stills, this brand is known for limited “Diwali Collectors Edition” cask-strength releases.

Tasting notes highlighted that the whisky features aromas of candied orange and apricot, golden raisins, fig jam, honeycomb, vanilla and seasoned oak. The marsala cask adds a distinctive nutty and almond/marzipan note.

Dominance of DeVANS Modern Breweries

DeVANS Modern Breweries from Jammu secured the remaining three Indian finalist slots, showcasing the breadth of its GianChand single malt range (all 42.8% ABV).

It was named after the founder, Dewan Gian Chand, and matured in Jammu’s hot summers and cold winters. The whisky is a peated single malt fashioned from 100% Indian barley.

The GianChand, Manshaa, Peated Single Malt stood out with their wet stone and saline/salty aromas, along with notes of subtle medicinal peat, lemon oil, sandalwood and oak spices.

Their flagship GianChand, Signature Indian Single Malt Whisky offered a lightly smoky character, featuring aromas of gingerbread, dried apricot, prune, honeycomb, and subtle seasoned oak with a faint peat echo.

Rounding out their success was the GianChand, Adambaraa, the unpeated single malt which was matured in American ex-bourbon casks and previously won multiple awards in 2025, including Best Indian Whisky at the IWC.

The whiskey features subtle floral and honey aromas, with notes of peaches, vanilla, toffee and first-fill bourbon wood.

International finalist

The single non-Indian finalist was Distillery Krauss's Sulm Valley Whiskey 5 years old (48% ABV) from Austria. This bourbon-style, Austrian straight whiskey is produced from a mash of around 70% local Sulm Valley corn and matured in newly toasted American oak.

The whiskey offers aromas of sweet corn, stone fruits, banana chips and vanilla, with hints of waxy and leather notes, Fortune reported.

Cask craft, barley character drive top scores at LVGSA 2025

The LVGSA 2025 results showed a clear trend that Indian single malt whisky is competing and winning on the world stage, with cask craft, barley character and textural polish driving top scores.

The winners were awarded medals made of platinum, gold, silver and bronze for respective positions, with special citations for Best in Category and Best in Show. Producers of each whiskey also receive judging feedback that they can use for quality improvement and marketing, and medal results are widely showcased on labels, sell sheets and retail shelf talkers, Fortune reported.