Scottish Whisky Ranks Best in World

A single-malt whisky brewed in Scotland knocked out 1,200 rivals to triumph as the World Whisky of the Year, according to the influential 2012 Whisky Bible. The Old Pulteney whisky, produced by the Pulteney distillery in Wick, northern Scotland, totaled 97.5 out of 100 points—tying the highest score ever given, reports AFP. The obscure, 21-year-old dram sells for $120 a bottle. US bourbon George T. Stagg was runner-up.

"I was on the home straight after four months of continuous tasting," says connoisseur and Whisky Bible author Jim Murray. "By that time I was pretty sure I knew what the winner was going to be. It needed something exceptional to knock the leader off its perch. That's exactly what happened." (More whisky stories.)