These Are the 83 Best-Tasting Bourbons, According to Experts

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has announced its results for 2023, and there’s a lot to take in. Out of over 6,000 bottles entered across the competition, only around 500 of them were awarded the highest ranking of Double Gold. And out of those superior spirits, 83 of them are classified as bourbons. So not a bad year overall for the brown stuff.

The SFWSC, which the Tasting Alliance runs alongside the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition and the Singapore World Spirits Competition, divides its bourbon entrants into seven different categories: Straight Bourbon, Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, Small Batch Bourbon Up to 5 Years, Small Batch Bourbon 6-10 Years, Single Barrel Bourbon Up to 10 Years and Single Barrel Bourbon 11 Years and Older. Additionally, a pair of bourbons classified under the Special Barrel-Finished Whiskey category also took home the highest honors. Below, we’ve laid out all 83 double-gold medal-winning bourbons for 2023.

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Straight Bourbon

• 15 Stars 13-Year-Old Timeless Reserve Bourbon
• 1845 Distilling Preemption Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Blackened x Wes Henderson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Blue Note Crossroads
• Blue Note Juke Joint
• Brother’s Bond Cask Strength Bourbon
• Breckenridge High Proof 105 Bourbon Whiskey
• Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey
• Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Detroit City Butcher’s Cut Straight Bourbon
• Evan Williams Black
• Few Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
• Fox & Oden Double Oaked Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond
• Heaven’s Door Decade Series Vol. 1 10yr Bourbon
• J. Rieger & Co. Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
• Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• McFarlane’s Reserve Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Old Forester King Ranch Edition
• Old Louisville Whiskey Co. Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Pinhook Vertical Series Bourbon 7 Year
• Pursuit United Straight Bourbon
• Sweet Grass Bourbon
• William Heavenhill 9th Edition Bourbon

Wheated Bourbon

• Southern Star Paragon Cask Strength Single Barrel Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• W. L. Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Buffalo Trace

Small Batch Bourbon Up to 5 Years

• Axe and the Oak Distillery First Stake Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
• Bainbridge Whiskey 40 Saloon Bottled In Bond
• Filmland Spirits Moonlight Mayhem! Small Batch Bourbon
• Ghostwood Blended Bourbon Whiskey
• Hidden Barn Whiskey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Small Batch Series One Batch #5
• Mystic Farm & Distillery Mystic Broken Oak
• New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond Without Chill Filtration
• Penelope Private Select Batch 22-302
• ROCKER Spirits Bourbon Whiskey
• Still & Oak Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
• Still Austin Whiskey Co Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
• The Bullock Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch #2
• Wilderness Trail Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Small Batch Bourbon 6-10 Years

WhistlePig

• 2XO The Phoenix Blend
• Art of the Spirits Whiskey Cask Strength “Frogman” Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Eagle Rare 10 Year Old
• Ezra Brooks Bourbon Old Ezra 7 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• George Dickel Bourbon
• Joseph Magnus Murray Hill Club Bourbon Blend
• Kings County Distillery Bottled-in-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Laws Whiskey House Bottled in Bond Four Grain Bourbon
• Peg Leg Porker Spirits Straight Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey
• Traverse City Whiskey Co. Barrel Proof Bourbon
• WhistlePig PiggyBack Bourbon
• Widow Jane 10-Year Bourbon

Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon/Whiskey

• Angel’s Envy 2022 Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
• Art of the Spirits Whiskey Cask Strength “Final Run” Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in a Ruby Port Cask
• Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series – Chateau de Laubade II
• Barrell Dovetail
• Chicken Cock Chanticleer Finished in Cognac Casks
• Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask French Toasted
• Hillrock Estate Distillery Solera Aged Bourbon Tawny Port Finished
• Hidden Barn Whiskey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Small Batch Series One Finished in Madeira Casks
• Frank August Case Study: 01 | Mizunara | Japanese Oak
• Everwild Spirits Seekers Toasted Oak
• Neeley Family Distillery The Old Jett Brothers Sauternes Finished Bourbon
• Rabbit Hole Distillery Dareringer Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in PX Sherry Cask
• Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finish
• World Whiskey Society Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Cask
• Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

Single Barrel Bourbon Up to 10 Years

Blanton’s Bourbon

• Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon
• Blanton’s Straight From the Barrel Single Barrel Bourbon
• The Clover Whiskey Straight Bourbon
• Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon
• Holladay Distillery Ben Holladay One Barrel Bourbon
• Kings County Distillery Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey #2022
• Nashtucky Single Barrel Bourbon
• Puncher’s Chance The Undisputed Bourbon
• Red Line Whiskey Company 6 Year Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
• Whiskey Thief Distilling Company Single Barrel 12 Riders on the Storm
• Wyoming Whiskey Single Barrel Bourbon

Single Barrel Bourbon 11 Years and Older

• Augusta Distillery Buckner’s 13 Year
• Elijah Craig 18-Year
• Russell’s Reserve 13 YO

If you’re thinking that you don’t have quite the budget to go out and buy 83 new bottles of bourbon, just wait a couple of months. For the first time, the Tasting Alliance — in association with ReserveBar — will be presenting global awards at “The Top Shelf Gala” at Resorts World Las Vegas on June 16 & 17. This event will bring in the Best in Class spirits from the San Francisco, New York and Singapore World Spirits Competitions, and will award overall winners that will then have ultimate bragging rights. The gala will also feature tastings from over 50 exhibiting brands and is open to the public, you can purchase tickets here.

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