IWSC Judging in Kentucky: medal results revealed
The IWSC’s first North American Whiskey & RTD Judging in Kentucky saw nearly 500 entries from both the US and Canada. Our judging team was led by the IWSC Judging Committee members Richard Paterson OBE, Master Distiller at The Dalmore (UK), and Dawn Davies MW, Head Buyer of distribution company Speciality Drinks (UK).
Richard and Dawn were joined by a team of industry decision-makers from the UK and the US: Dr Emma Walker, Master Blender at Johnnie Walker (UK); Shannon Tebay, Beverage Director at Outernet Live Venues (UK); Guy Hodcroft, Buyer for luxury fine wine and spirits merchant Bordeaux Index (UK); Journalist and Communicator Kristiane Sherry (UK); Spirits Communicator Nate Gana (Canada), as well as Dan Callaway, Master Blender at Bardstown Bourbon Company (USA); Bridget Albert, Senior Director External Communication at Southern Glazer’s (USA); Jane Bowie, Master Blender at Potter Jane (USA); Whiskey Historian Caroline Paulus, and Founder of Whisky Cast Mark Gillespie (USA).
Our inaugural Kentucky judging was a resounding success with over 430 medals awarded in total, including more than 30 golds and 4 highly coveted gold outstanding medals.
American Whiskey is historically one of the strongest categories at the IWSC Awards, and our judges were delighted to taste a broad range of the US drams in Kentucky, while also meeting the local distillers and delving deep into the local Bourbon culture.
“What they are doing here in terms of liquid quality is just insane. Some of the distilleries we’ve been around are incredible. We were amazed by the sheer detail they are going into in production. As for the judging itself, what was very interesting was seeing some crazy cask finishes, some different grains being used. And all of those things, whether they work or they don’t, are all fantastic to try. It’s been a fabulous few days,” shared our Judging Committee Member Dawn Davies MW.
Whiskey
American Whiskeys shone at the judging, scooping over 20 golds and 4 gold outstanding medals, with a total of over 300 awards.
Straight Bourbons stole the show, with Kentucky entries being the absolute stars of this category. As many as 9 golds and 1 gold outstanding medal went to Kentucky Straight Bourbons. The highest-scoring entry was the gold outstanding winner, Toasted Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey by Kentucky Peerless Distilling. The judges admired its “rich wood nose, with lots of fruit, spice, wood sugars. Nice, soft, subtle finish, and balanced flavour approach with layered complexity”.
As for the gold-winning Straight Bourbons, one of the highlights was the 97 points Blanton's Straight From The Barrel Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. “Lovely and fresh on the nose with great grain-oak-fruit integration. On the palate, the alcohol feels super well integrated, building a lovely texture. It feels luxurious and elegant with great length and complexity,” wrote the judges.
Rye whiskeysperformed brilliantly, with 3 gold medals and 1 gold outstanding awarded to an exceptional rye entry - Bulleit Rye 10 YO American Straight Rye Whiskey. Our judges described it as “bright and fresh”, praising the lush aromas of “dark cherry fruit, blackcurrant, chocolate orange note, some good rye spice and grain”.
Blended whiskeys also didn’t disappoint with 3 gold and 1 gold outstanding medals awarded to standout entries. The gold outstanding winner, Five Trail Barrel Proof Batch 003 Blended American Whiskey by Coors Spirits, impressed our judges with its “silky, velvety texture. Caramel and char, lovely cereal notes, creamy, milk chocolate and red berries”.
Single Malts showed consistent quality, with an array of medals awarded, including a gold outstanding that went to Cabernet Cask Select American Single Malt Whiskey by Virginia Distillery Company. It revealed “beautiful fruit, with wood characteristics and a great use of oak”, our judges proclaiming it “insanely drinkable”.
Overall these were exciting several days of judging that showcased the quality of North American whiskeys and the hard work that the distillers put into producing the best drams. Our judges felt optimistic about the future of the category as a whole, and Kentucky Bourbon in particular. “I hope that the Bourbon producers can look at the past, but be really confident in the future because it’s shining bright for Bourbon, just like Kentucky sunshine,” said IWSC Judging Committee member Richard Paterson.
RTD
RTDs showed remarkably well at our Kentucky Judging with over 60 medals awarded, including 9 golds. Our experts were delighted by the high quality of American ready-to-drink cocktails across the board, noting: “We were impressed with the amount of classic cocktail expressions, including a number of gold medal winners across several cocktail styles. It was exciting to see and taste the differences in overall styles between the UK and US RTD options. The American expressions seemed to tend towards more classic styles (Old Fashioned, Margaritas, etc.) rather than more fruit-forward combinations. This would lead us to believe that the RTD audience in the States is that of an older demographic, looking for refined cocktail options they don’t need to go to a cocktail bar to have available.”
The classic cocktails stood out for their well-balanced flavours and complexity, having our judges exclaim multiple time: “I would love to drink a full portion of this!”.
Some of the highlights included Bloody Marry RTDs, with 2 golds awarded to these cocktails. The highest-scoring one was the 97 point gold-winning Blazing Bloody Mary Made With Vodka by ZING ZANG: “Tons of flavor, hitting all the right notes and great salt. Sunday brunch cocktail! Delicious, balanced, and fun.”
Another high scorer in the classic category was Bar Diver Cocktails White Russian. The judges awarded it with a gold and scored it 97 points, describing it as “velvetly and delicious, excellently balanced. Fabulous!”.
As for more fruit-forward styles, our judges particularly enjoyed Zing Zang Mango Margarita Made With Tequila, awarding it a gold medal and admiring the “lovely and inviting mango aroma. Balanced and delightful narative arc with evolving mango flavors throughout.”
Congratulations to all winners! All medal-winning US whiskeys can be viewed here, Canadian whiskeys - here. Medal-winning US RTDs can be viewed here, Canadian RTDs - here.
Thank you to partners of the IWSC North American Whiskey & RTD Judging in Kentucky: Bardstown Bourbon Company, CaskX, Helmsman Imports, Heaven Hill Distillery, Kentucky Eagle, Franklin & Sons, Libbey, Lux Row Distillers, Rabbit Hole Distillery, Glencairn.
Gold & Gold Outstanding medal winning whiskey from North America
Gold medal winning RTDs from North America
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