Foreign non Scotch whiskies have won a lot of these awards in the past few years. As a Scotsman I have all sorts of mixed feelings about this. Sad to see my national drink being bettered by foreigners. On the other hand it was only a matter of time. There is nothing about whisky that means it cant be produced wonderfully in many areas on the world. It may also be a wake up call to the Government here. The UK Govt sees whisky as nothing more than a cash cow for tax revenue. Increased competition may lead them to cut taxes on whisky, but I seriously doubt it. We deserve the kicking that foreign whisky producers will surely give us in the years ahead.
My heart belongs to the Isle of Islay. ;)