The Los Angeles Spirits Awards have built a reputation not just for rigorous judging, but for the breadth of voices behind the table. The competition places a deliberate emphasis on diversity within its judging panel, bringing together distillers, buyers, bartenders, writers, and educators from across the spirits industry.
That mix of backgrounds helps ensure that medals reflect a wide range of palates, preferences, and professional perspectives rather than a single dominant style.
This year’s Small Batch Bourbon category highlights that philosophy particularly well. Defined by the competition as bourbons produced from fewer than 250 barrels, the category rewards precision, intent, and individuality over scale.
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The four Platinum Medal winners span traditional blending, regional experimentation, sustainability-driven sourcing, and bold reinterpretations of what bourbon can be, offering a snapshot of where small batch bourbon is heading in 2026.
15 Stars Platinum Straight Bourbon
Award: Platinum Medal
Tasting Notes: Maple, peanut brittle, candied orange, lavender, pastry, ginger, allspice, honeycomb, leather, oak, herbal spice, cigar box
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READ THE STORYFind Your Next Bottle: $264
15 Stars Platinum Straight Bourbon is built around maturity rather than novelty. The release is a carefully constructed blend of straight bourbons aged 10, 15, and 19 years, sourced from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. The focus here is on blending precision and long aging rather than secondary influence.
There is no single mashbill, as the blend draws from multiple traditional bourbon recipes, all corn-forward by definition. This approach allows the blenders to layer depth, oak character, and balance without relying on aggressive proof or finishing techniques.
The brand was founded by Rick and Ricky Johnson with a clear historical reference point, drawing inspiration from Kentucky’s early statehood and early American whiskey culture.
The release was produced in limited quantities, positioning it firmly as a finite small batch bottling rather than a recurring core expression.
New Dawn Distilling 6 Year Old New York Bourbon
Award: Platinum Medal
Tasting Notes: Apricot, anise, sugar cane, chamomile, cherry, almonds, croissants
Find Your Next Bottle: $71.99
This Platinum-winning bourbon stands apart before the cork is even pulled. Distilled and aged entirely in New York State, it challenges the idea that serious bourbon must come from Kentucky. The whiskey was produced in collaboration with Alton Distillery in upstate New York, and released under the New Dawn Distilling label, an independent bottler with a strong focus on sustainability and transparency.
The bourbon is bottled at full cask strength, just under 59% ABV, without chill filtration, reflecting a confidence in the underlying distillate and a desire to present the whiskey as it left the barrel.
The mashbill is deliberately traditional yet well balanced. It uses 70% corn, 15% rye, and 15% malted barley, all sourced locally. The higher-than-average barley content supports fermentation and adds weight, while the rye provides structure rather than sharp spice.
New Dawn Distilling operates on a collaboration-first model rather than large-scale production. This release serves as both an introduction and a statement of intent, demonstrating Dr. Dawn O’Neal’s commitment to championing small producers alongside her lifelong mission of inclusivity and sustainability.
Redwood Empire Screaming Titan Wheated Bourbon
Award: Platinum Medal
Tasting Notes: Nectarine, sweet tea, apple blossoms, honeycomb, flaky pastry, peaches & cream
Find Your Next Bottle: $79.99
Screaming Titan represents a deliberate point of experimentation for Redwood Empire. It is the brand’s first wheated bourbon and one of the most tightly defined releases within its Small Lot Series. This batch was bottled from 198 barrels, each aged for a minimum of five years in new charred American oak, keeping it well within the LA Spirits Awards definition of small batch.
The bourbon is bottled at 48% ABV, with no secondary finishing. The focus remains squarely on grain selection, maturation, and batch control rather than cask influence beyond primary aging.
The mashbill for this release is 61% corn, 30% wheat, 5% rye, and 4% malted barley. The elevated wheat content plays a central role, softening the structure and allowing the oak and grain to lead.
Redwood Empire is based in Sonoma County and has built its reputation on blending-led releases that emphasize balance and repeatable quality.
Screaming Titan is released in small, batch-numbered runs under Redwood Empire’s Small Lot Series.
Warbringer Meqsuite Smoked Southwest Bourbon
Award: Platinum Medal
Tasting Notes: Smoky, chewy, white pepper, jalapeño and pumpernickel
Find Your Next Bottle: $50
Warbringer approaches bourbon from a different starting point. Instead of leaning on age or finishing, the defining decisions are made before fermentation even begins. A significant portion of the premium flaking grits corn (65%) is smoked over mesquite wood, a technique more closely associated with barbecue and smoked malt whisky than traditional bourbon production. Additional corn is roasted to deepen caramelization before mashing.
Rye is also added to the mash bill, contributing structure and spice that can stand up to the smoke. Fermentation takes place in open-top vessels, followed by pot still distillation, a choice that preserves heavier flavor compounds.
Initial maturation occurs in pedro ximenez sherry casks. The whiskey then undergoes a brief secondary rest in new American oak alligator barrels.
Warbringer is produced at a small California distillery and remains intentionally limited in scale. Distribution is selective, with availability focused on direct sales and specialist retailers. The result is a small batch bourbon defined by process and regional identity rather than tradition alone.
Diversity In The Small Batch Bourbon Category
What links these four Platinum Medal winners is not a shared style, but a shared mindset. Each bourbon fits within the LA Spirits Awards definition of small batch, yet each arrives there by a very different route. Long-aged blending, regional New York production, wheated experimentation, and mesquite-smoked process-driven bourbon all sit alongside one another in the same category.
Taken together, the winners mirror the diversity of the LA Spirits Awards judging panel itself. That breadth sends a clear signal to consumers. There is no single way to succeed in small batch bourbon. Different production models, regional identities, and stylistic approaches can all stand on equal footing when evaluated by a panel that represents a wide cross-section of the industry.
In a category limited to fewer than 250 barrels, there is little room for shortcuts. These Platinum Medal winners demonstrate how small batch bourbon has become a space where individuality, intent, and careful execution are not just tolerated, but recognized as strengths.
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