Comprehensive liquor company Diageo Korea won the grand award in the institutional sectors of spirits, beer, and whiskey at the Korea Wine & Spirits Awards 2025, achieving five awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is the country's representative liquor tasting competition, now in its 12th year. ChosunBiz has hosted the event annually since 2014 with the goal of "discovering and promoting quality domestic liquor and supporting healthy drinking culture."
This year's event featured 236 companies showcasing a total of 1,008 brands, making it the largest domestic tasting competition for comprehensive liquor. Of these, 431 brands received the grand award.
Diageo's premium tequila "Don Julio 1942" and stout beer "Guinness Draft", "Guinness 0.0" were each selected as "Best of 2025" by receiving the highest scores in their respective institutional sectors of spirits and beer.
"Singleton Dufftown 15 Years" received the grand award in the single malt Scotch whiskey sector, while "Tanqueray No. Ten" won in the gin sector, reflecting Diageo's wide product portfolio receiving high praise from consumers and experts.
"Don Julio 1942" has been selected as "Best of 2025" in the spirits, tequila, and white sectors for two consecutive years, following 2024.
"Don Julio 1942" was released in 2002 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of tequila production by its founder Don Julio Gonzalez. It is made by distilling selected agave and aging the raw liquor in American oak barrels for at least two years. It takes a minimum of eight years to produce a single bottle.
The stout beer "Guinness Draft" was selected as "Best of 2025" in the beer and imported ale sectors. It introduced a sphere called a "Widget," which helps create a creamy texture, characterized by its smooth and balanced flavor.
Guinness Draft has won the Korea Wine & Spirits Awards a cumulative 10 times, receiving steady support from consumers and experts.
"Guinness 0.0", released in May of last year, was selected as "Best of 2025" in the beer, non-alcoholic, and low-alcohol sectors before even completing a year since its launch. Guinness 0.0 is a non-alcoholic beer with an alcohol content of less than 0.05%. While it is non-alcoholic, consumers can enjoy the rich flavor and nutty taste characteristic of Guinness. Notably, it also uses the same Widget as existing products to preserve Guinness's unique texture.
"Singleton Dufftown 15 Years" won the grand award in the whiskey, single malt Scotch, and premium sectors.
The Singleton, produced in the heart of Speyside, Scotland, possesses a unique soft apple aroma and has a solid following.
The unique bottle design of Singleton, inspired by hip flasks, has become a symbol of the brand's identity.
"Singleton Dufftown 15 Years" is a product aged in European Pedro Ximénez Oloroso sherry and American bourbon casks, achieving a perfect balance of dried fruit, chocolate, and spicy flavors.
"Tanqueray No. Ten" won the grand award in the spirits and gin sectors. Launched in 2000, Tanqueray No. Ten is distilled using four types of herbs along with chamomile and fresh citrus fruits such as orange, grapefruit, and lime, resulting in a citrusy flavor.
Tanqueray No. Ten is the only gin inducted into the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Hall of Fame.
Pratmesh Mishra, representative of Diageo Korea, noted, "It is a great honor for Diageo to achieve five awards at the Korea Wine & Spirits Awards, the most prestigious awards in the country," adding, "We will make even greater efforts to not only introduce products that satisfy diverse consumer preferences but also to spread the high-quality drinking culture of "fine drinking."