The 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has revealed its highest honors, with the world’s best whiskies recognized at the Top Shelf Awards Gala on November 8, 2026. The ceremony brought together producers and industry professionals to celebrate the standout spirits from this year’s competition.
Organized by The Tasting Alliance, the SFWSC has been running since 2000 and is one of the most prestigious blind spirits competitions in the world. The initial judging took place earlier this year, with thousands of spirits competing for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Double Gold medals. A Double Gold is awarded when every judge on a panel unanimously awards a spirit Gold.
The competition’s highest awards are decided from this initial pool of Double Gold winners. These expressions advance to further judging for the Best of Class titles, which recognize the strongest entries in individual categories, including bourbon, rye, single malt Scotch, and Irish whiskey. Selected winners also receive broader honors, such as Best Overall Scotch or Best Overall Bourbon, while Best in Show Whisk(e)y represents the competition’s ultimate whiskey accolade.
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READ THE STORYThis year’s results saw Tamdhu 21 Year Old named Best Overall Scotch, Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel take Best Overall Bourbon, and Baltimore Spirits Company’s Epoch Maryland Straight Rye 6 Year Old Cask Strength claim Best in Show Whisk(e)y.
Below, we’ve compiled every whisky winner from the 2026 SFWSC’s Best of Class, Best Overall, Best in Show, and Best New Spirits awards, covering American, Irish, Scotch, and world whisky.
American Whiskey
| Whiskey | Award |
| Pinhook 10 Year Vertical Series Bourbon | Best of Class Straight Bourbon |
| Wheel Horse Whiskey Barrel Master Select Batch #2 Bourbon | Best of Class Small Batch Bourbon, Up to 5 Years |
| Time Sipping Away Small Batch Straight Bourbon | Best of Class Small Batch Bourbon, 6 to 10 Years; Best Overall Small Batch Bourbon |
| Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10-Year Bourbon | Best of Class Single Barrel Bourbon, Up to 10 Years |
| Elijah Craig 15-Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon | Best of Class Single Barrel Bourbon, 11 Years and Older; Best Overall Single Barrel Bourbon; Best Overall Bourbon |
| Starlight Distillery Mizunara Reserve Bourbon | Best of Class Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon |
| Heaven Hill Traditional Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon | Best of Class Wheated Bourbon |
| Wenzel Distillery Toasted Bourbon | Best of Class Blend of Straight Bourbons |
| Leiper’s Fork Distillery Bottled-In-Bond Tennessee Whiskey | Best of Class Tennessee Whiskey |
| Bainbridge Battle Point Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey | Best of Class Wheat Whisk(e)y |
| Baltimore Spirits Company Epoch Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey 6 Year Old Cask Strength | Best of Class Rye Whisk(e)y; Best in Show Whisk(e)y |
| Dark Arts Whiskey House American Single Malt Whiskey | Best of Class American Single Malt Whiskey |
| Brother Justus American Single Malt Whiskey | Best of Class Craft Distiller Whiskey |
| High Bank Distillery Whiskey War Double Double Oaked American Blended Whiskey | Best of Class American Blended Whiskey |
| Lasso Motel 18-Year Old American Straight Whiskey | Best of Class Other Whisk(e)y |
Irish Whiskey
| Whiskey | Award |
| Egan’s Conviction 21 Blended Irish Whiskey | Best of Class Blended Irish Whiskey |
| Craft Irish Whiskey The Donn Single Malt Irish Whiskey | Best of Class Single Malt Irish Whiskey |
| Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey | Best of Class Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey |
Scotch Whisky
| Whisky | Award |
| Dewar’s Double Double 32 Years Old Blended Scotch | Best of Class Blended Scotch, 16 Years and Older; Best Overall Blended Scotch |
| Sassenach Spirits Spirit of Home Scotch | Best of Class Blended Scotch, No Age Statement |
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch | Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, Up to 12 Years |
| Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Year Old | Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, 13 to 19 Years |
| Tamdhu Speyside 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch | Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, 20 Years and Older; Best Overall Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch; Best Overall Scotch |
| John Crabbie Virgin Oak Single Malt Peated Scotch | Best of Class Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch, No Age Statement |
| Noble Rebel Hazelnut Harmony Blended Malt Scotch | Best of Class Blended Malt Scotch |
World Whisky
| Whisky | Award |
| Bearface Bear-Bon Charred Barrel Whisky | Best of Class Canadian Whisky |
| Saburomaru Single Cask Shokatsuryo Whisky No. 210153 | Best of Class Japanese Whisky |
| Ohishi Sherry Cask 8 Year Old Whisky | Best of Class Rice Whisk(e)y |
| Ki One Sun Korean Single Malt Whisky | Best of Class Other Single Malt Whisk(e)y |
| Callington Mill Distillery El Sol Australian Single Malt Whisky | Best of Class Australian Single Malt Whisky |
| Yutumomo Milk Candy Whiskey | Best of Class Flavored Whisk(e)y |
| Omar Single Malt Whisky (Sherry Cask) | Best of Class Special Barrel-Finished Whisk(e)y |
Best New Spirits
| Whisk(e)y | Award |
| Fathertime Bourbon The Caboose Small Batch: Empty Nester Strength | Best New Bourbon |
| Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers Rye 1 Whisky | Best New Rye Whiskey |
| Saburomaru V The Hierophant Cask Strength Whisky | Best New Japanese Whisky |
| InchDairnie Distillery KinGlassie Double Matured Aged 8 Years Fife Single Malt Scotch | Best New Scotch |
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