The International Whisky Competition returns in mid-June 2026, with the winners revealed on June 30th. Before the new champions are crowned, there is a smart move available to anyone who loves whisky: revisit the bottles that won in 2025.
These five are proven, scored, and some are still attainable today. And one of them did something no whisky had ever done before. For the first time, a spirit made outside Scotland walked away with the Golden Barrel Trophy, and it came from Taiwan.
The competition runs on blind tasting. A panel of expert judges scores every whisky without knowing the brand, the price, or the country.
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READ THE STORYEach year, the competition publishes a ranked top 15. Here are the five that finished highest in 2025. Let us know if you believe that any new releases should make the list in 2026.
Kavalan Solist Fino Sherry — Whisky of the Year, 97.04 Points
The headline of 2025 belongs to Kavalan. The Solist Fino Sherry Single Cask Strength scored 97.04 points, the highest of the entire competition, and became, in the distillery’s own words, the first non-Scottish whisky to win the Golden Barrel Trophy. It also earned Kavalan the title of Distillery of the Year.
Made in Yilan County, Taiwan, the whisky is distilled from 100% malted barley and matured in a single fino sherry cask. Fino is the driest style of sherry, and it lends the spirit a nutty, elegant edge.
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Tasting notes run from creamy toffee and rich fudge through mango and overripe citrus to smoked wood. The cask is bottled at natural strength.
What makes Kavalan worth watching goes beyond a single trophy. Taiwan’s subtropical climate accelerates maturation, packing bold character into the spirit in a fraction of the time a Scottish warehouse would take.
Kavalan has become the spearhead of a young and fast-rising Taiwanese category, and this win is the clearest signal yet that the rest of the world is paying attention.
At around $300, the Solist is more of an event bottle, ideal for a milestone gift or a serious shelf.
A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength, Batch #4 — 97.01 Points
Just 0.03 points behind first place sat this Virginia bourbon, which took home both Best Bourbon and Best American Whiskey. A. Smith Bowman is Virginia’s oldest active distillery, based in Fredericksburg and owned by Sazerac, and its calling card is a triple distillation. The first two distillations happen at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky, after which the spirit is redistilled in Virginia using a copper pot still named Mary.
Batch #4 was aged at least 10 years in new charred American oak and bottled at cask strength, a hefty 69.85% ABV.
The mash bill brings together corn, rye, and malted barley, and the resulting tasting notes deliver leather, plums, raspberry, chocolate, and cinnamon. The catch for buyers is scarcity. Bottles are sold by lottery and snapped up fast, so think of this one as the collector’s grail.
Jack Daniel’s 12 Year Old, Batch 3 — 96.50 Points
Here is the bottle to hand a curious drinker who believes they already know Jack Daniel’s.
This release is a reminder of what the Lynchburg, Tennessee, distillery can do with premium, age-stated whiskey, and it finished third overall. It uses Jack’s signature mash bill of 80% corn, 12% malted barley, and 8% rye, and like all Tennessee whiskey, it undergoes charcoal mellowing before maturation.
The whiskey spent 12 years in new charred oak before being bottled at 107 proof, or 53.5% ABV. The extra time brings depth, spice, and dry oak alongside the familiar caramel and banana notes, with sweet pipe tobacco and butterscotch on the palate.
Part of the brand’s Aged Series, which revives age-stated releases from its early history, it is limited and tends to disappear quickly.
Hogback Peated Smoke Single Malt — 96.39 Points
For value, this is the standout of the list. At $74.99, Hogback’s Peated Smoke took top honors in the American single malt category and placed fourth overall, a remarkable result for a young craft distillery from Colorado.
Founded by Scottish-born Graeme Wallace, Hogback marries Scottish tradition with American ingredients and climate.
The whiskey is made from 100% Scottish peated barley, distilled in copper pot stills, and matured at least three years in virgin American oak. Bottled at 100 proof, or 50% ABV, with no chill filtration, it offers smoke, charred oak, glazed barbecue meat, vanilla, and dark fruit.
The profile nods to Islay while staying distinctly American, and it makes a confident “try something new” gift that will not strain a budget.
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel, Batch 3633 — 96.34 Points
Closing out the top five is a whiskey carrying real meaning along with its quality. Produced in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Uncle Nearest honors the legacy of Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved distiller who taught Jack Daniel his craft.
The brand is Black-owned, women-led, and one of the fastest-growing names in American whiskey.
Batch 3633 was bottled at cask strength, 60.9% ABV, and is believed to use a high-corn mash bill filtered through sugar maple charcoal in the traditional Tennessee style. Aged in new charred oak, it gives butterscotch, pecan, marzipan, and warm spice.
Every barrel in the series is hand-picked by Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler, Green’s great-great-granddaughter. At around $85, it is an accessible bottle with a story worth telling, which makes it a thoughtful gift.
So, What Could Win in 2026?
Look at the spread of last year’s results. Taiwan, Virginia, Tennessee, and Colorado all landed in the top five, which is the clearest proof yet that the title of world’s best whiskey no longer belongs to Scotland by default. Kavalan cracked open a door, and a whole field of distilleries is now walking through it.
So the question hangs in the air as the judges prepare to taste. Will Taiwan defend its crown, will an American single malt finally break through to the very top, or will Scotland reclaim the trophy it held for so long?
The answer arrives on June 30th. Until then, let us know if you are able to taste the 2025 winners for yourself, so that when the new list drops, you can judge it on your own terms.
