The international awards competition held annually by Whisky Magazine honours the best that the whisky business has to offer.
The 2023 Icons of Whisky Awards in London honoured a South African retailer for the second time in addition to their World Whiskies Awards, in which whiskies compete in a variety of categories. These awards honour those who work in the industry as well as online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
WhiskyBrother won the Single Outlet Retailer of the Year title in 2020, and this year it won the Global Multiple Outlet Retailer of the Year honor.
In two rounds of judging, the SA retailer fought against retailers from around the world, including those from Scotland, America, Ireland, Japan, and Europe. The whiskey outlet’s team took to instagram to break the news.
“We were absolutely thrilled and somewhat stunned to hear Whisky Brother being called up on stage to receive the Global Award for Multiple Outlet Retailer for 2023! This is our second global award at Icons of Whisky – we won Single Outlet Retailer in 2020, but the ceremony was cancelled due to Covid, so it was an immense honour to be called up on stage and receive the award in a room filled with whiskey luminaries and icons from across the world. This huge achievement is, of course, not possible without wonderful people – both our brilliant team and our amazing customers. A sincere thank you to each of you who have believed and supported us along the way. We can’t wait to continue our whisky journey alongside you,” they wrote.
Whisky Brother first opened its doors in 2012 with a retail location in Hyde Park. They now own two addition storefronts in Bryanston and Bedfordview. Their first dedicated whisky bar in Johannesburg was opened in Sandton, and it offers over 1500 rare whiskies for tasting. It also has a nationwide online store with the widest variety of premium whiskies for sale, including regular limited editions and unique releases. One of their offerings that distinguishes them from other businesses in South Africa is their special whisky releases.
The crew chooses the whiskies directly from the casks, making them one-of-a-kind whiskies that wouldn’t otherwise have been bottled and unavailable anywhere else in the world.
