Global Recognition for The Whisky Club
The Whisky Club, a long-running and active Australian business, has secured a major global achievement after being ranked among the world’s top spirits producers on 26 November 2025. The International Wine and Spirit Competition placed The Whisky Club at number 31 out of 2,309 distilleries and producers across 115 countries. This result confirms its position as a leader in the market.
It was the highest-ranking Australian producer, the top member-based whisky service, and the leading organisation that is not a distillery owner or independent bottler. This recognition shows how The Whisky Club has established itself beside major global players.
Positioning Australia on the World Stage
Based in Hobart, The Whisky Club connects 38,000 members with exclusive whiskies created by leading whiskymakers. Its global partners include William Grant and Sons, Brown Forman and Diageo. The Club’s inclusion in the same ranking group reinforces the strength of its industry relationships.
“This incredible recognition is thanks to one thing – the whiskies created for our members,” says Club General Manager Seamus Carroll. His statement highlights the club’s member-first philosophy, which drives both selection and collaboration.
How The Whisky Club Creates Exclusive Releases
The Club works directly with distillers to design whiskies that cannot be found anywhere else. This partnership-driven model produces rare, customised expressions that showcase each distillery’s identity. Seamus Carroll explains this approach further. “We are not independent bottlers; instead, we work directly with the whiskymakers to create whiskies we know our members love. As distillers and master blenders regularly tell us, it’s their chance to flex with freedom for never-to-be-repeated expressions that showcase their distilleries in their finest.”
In 2025, The Whisky Club released exclusives from Glendronach, Aberlour, Balvenie and Lark. The next edition is a world-first Christmas Causeway release from Bushmills in Northern Ireland. The release continues the Club’s pattern of attracting world-class collaborators.
What Makes the IWSC Ranking Significant
The Spirits Producers Top 50 list launched in 2025. It highlights distillers, producers and brands that demonstrate consistent quality. The ranking considers a three-year period and rewards ongoing performance instead of a one-off success.
Forbes writer Joseph V Micallef explains why this method matters. He states, “The IWSC Top 50 Producers and Honour Roll make one thing clear: in a crowded global market, the real differentiator isn’t a single headline-grabbing vintage or a spirit expression voted ‘World’s Best’, but relentless, measurable quality over time.”
He continues, “…the producers who appear on these lists have proved they can deliver excellence across styles, categories, and seasons. For drinkers, the IWSC Top 50 and Honour Roll offer something equally valuable: a curated shortcut to bottles that have impressed some of the most demanding palates in the business, not just once, but again and again.”
How the IWSC Determines Its Top 50
The IWSC ranking considers all entries from the past three years, including those that do not win medals. This system values consistency. The organisation explains the process clearly. “By combining detailed results data with IWSC’s trusted judging standards, the Top 50 provides an objective, transparent, and credible benchmark for identifying the most accomplished wine and spirit producers in the world.”
With more than 2,300 distilleries and producers evaluated each year, placing in the top 50 confirms that The Whisky Club continues to deliver excellence across a broad range of styles.
About The Whisky Club
The Whisky Club was established in 2014 by Bertie and Emily Ashbolt Cason. It is now the world’s largest whisky retail subscription service and delivers exclusive monthly releases to more than 38,000 members. The Club collaborates with top distilleries across Scotland, Ireland, Japan and further afield. More information is available at thewhiskyclub.com.au