The Top Shelf 2025 Awards unfolded over a multi-day celebration that brought together the standout spirits and ready-to-drink releases of the year.
Hosted by The Tasting Alliance, the weekend featured masterclasses, exclusive tastings, and networking sessions before culminating in the Top Shelf Awards Gala, where the Best of Class and Best in Show winners from the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the 2025 San Francisco Ready to Drink Competition were honored.
What follows is a complete list of this year’s winners, each representing the highest standard of quality, innovation, and craftsmanship within their category.
| Award |
Product |
| BEST VODKA; BEST OVERALL VODKA | High Bank Distillery Co.Vodka |
| BEST FLAVORED VODKA | Sobieski Grapefruit Vodka |
| BEST GIN | Tanqueray No. TEN |
| BEST FLAVORED GIN | Gervasi Spirits Pink Peppercorn Gin |
| BEST BARREL-AGED GIN | Sorgin Yellow Gin |
| BEST JAPANESE GIN; BEST OVERALL GIN | Kyotango Mairingen Distillery Fresh Craft Gin (Original) |
| BEST SOJU | Minhwa Spirits Yong Soju |
| BEST SHOCHU | Shikina Distillery Shigure 7 Year Kusu Shochu |
| BEST BAIJIU | LU AN LIQUOR Baijiu |
| BEST UNAGED RUM; BEST OVERALL RUM; BEST IN SHOW UNAGED WHITE SPIRIT | Burdekin Rum Distillers Edition – Coral Sea Strength |
| BEST AGED RUM | Planteray Rum Xaymaca Special Dry |
| BEST EXTRA-AGED RUM | CARTAVIOXO Rum |
| BEST OVER-PROOF RUM | Worthy Park Overproof Rum |
| BEST BLANCO/JOVEN TEQUILA; BEST OVERALL TEQUILA | Tequila Volcan de mi Tierra Blanco |
| BEST REPOSADO TEQUILA | Aguasol Tequila Reposado |
| BEST AÑEJO TEQUILA | Cierto Tequila Private Collection Añejo |
| BEST EXTRA AÑEJO TEQUILA | Don Fulano Tequila Imperial |
| BEST MEZCAL | Maria Bonita Ensamble Mezcal |
| BEST OTHER AGAVE SPIRIT; BEST IN SHOW AGED WHITE SPIRIT | Los Perdidos Tepeztate Reposado Agave Spirit |
| BEST OTHER WHITE SPIRIT | Ola Brew Co Pauka’a Ocean-Aged ‘Ōkolehao – 4 Week |
| BEST STRAIGHT BOURBON | Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C924 |
| BEST SMALL BATCH BOURBON – UP TO 5 YEARS | 1792 Small Batch Straight Bourbon |
| BEST SMALL BATCH BOURBON – 6 TO 10 YEARS | ASW Distillery Fiddler Encore Bourbon – Georgia Oak |
| BEST SMALL BATCH BOURBON – 11 YEARS & OLDER; BEST OVERALL SMALL BATCH BOURBON | O.K.I. Bourbon 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon |
| BEST SINGLE BARREL BOURBON – UP TO 10 YEARS | Safai Bourbon 8 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon |
| BEST SINGLE BARREL – 11 YEARS & OLDER; BEST SINGLE BARREL BOURBON | O.K.I. Bourbon 16 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon |
| BEST SPECIAL BARREL-FINISHED BOURBON; BEST OVERALL BOURBON | Starlight Distillery Japanese Mizunara Reserve Finished Bourbon |
| BEST WHEATED BOURBON | Frank August CASE STUDY: 05 | WHEATED RESERVE | 5 BARREL BATCH Bourbon |
| BEST CRAFT DISTILLER WHISKEY | Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Bourbon |
| BEST TENNESSEE WHISKEY | Old Dominick Bonded Tennessee Whiskey |
| BEST CORN WHISKEY | Dancing Goat Distillery The Spaniard Corn Whiskey |
| BEST WHEAT WHISKEY | Heaven Hill Heritage Collection: 2025 Release 19 Year Old Wheat Whiskey |
| BEST RYE WHISKEY | Wenzel Whiskey Rectifier Rye Whiskey |
| BEST CANADIAN WHISKY | J.P. Wiser’s Decades Series: 28 Year old Canadian Whisky |
| BEST OTHER SINGLE MALT WHISKEY | KI ONE SIGNATURE Single Malt Whiskey |
| BEST SINGLE GRAIN WHISKEY | Frey Ranch 100% Barley Whiskey (Unmalted) |
| BEST OTHER WHISKEY | Craftbros Collaboration Whiskey |
| BEST AMERICAN BLENDED WHISKEY | Longleaf Distilling Co.Cask Strength Heirloom American Whiskey |
| BEST JAPANESE WHISKY | Hinomaru Whisky Signature 1823 |
| BEST AMERICAN SINGLE MALT WHISKEY | Stranahan’s Snowflake |
| BEST FLAVORED WHISKEY | King’s Creek Black Label Cider |
| BEST SPECIAL BARREL-FINISHED WHISKEY | 1933 Macleod’s PX Highland Single Malt Sherry Cask Finish Scotch Whisky |
| BEST AUSTRALIAN SINGLE MALT WHISKY | Callington Mill Distillery Pedro Ximenez Single Malt Whisky |
| BEST BLENDED IRISH WHISKEY | Jameson Triple Triple Irish Whiskey Chestnut Edition |
| BEST SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY | Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey |
| BEST PURE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY; BEST OVERALL IRISH WHISKEY | Spot Whiskey Yellow Spot |
| BEST BLENDED SCOTCH – 16 YEARS & OLDER; BEST OVERALL BLENDED SCOTCH | Isle of Skye 25 Year Old Blended Scotch |
| BEST BLENDED SCOTCH – NO AGE STATEMENT | D’YAVOL VORTEX Blended Scotch |
| BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH – UP TO 12 YEARS | Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch |
| BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH – 13 TO 19 YEARS | Royal Brackla PALO CORTADO 18 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch |
| BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH – 20 YEARS & OLDER; BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH; BEST OVERALL SCOTCH; BEST IN SHOW WHISK(E)Y | Rosebank 31 Year Old Lowland Single Malt Scotch |
| BEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH – NO AGE STATEMENT | Loch Lomond Remarkable Alchemy Single Malt Scotch |
| BEST BLENDED MALT SCOTCH | Compass Box Crimson Casks Blended Malt Scotch Whisky |
| BEST COGNAC | Haut de Vigne Cognac VS |
| BEST COGNAC VSOP | Park Cognac VSOP Reflet Cuivré |
| BEST COGNAC XO; BEST OVERALL COGNAC; BEST IN SHOW BRANDY | Park Cognac XO Cigar Blend |
| BEST SPANISH GRAPE BRANDY | Torres 15 Year Old Brandy |
| BEST PERUVIAN PISCO | Intipalka Pisco Italia |
| BEST FRUIT LIQUEUR | Giffard Banane du Brésil |
| BEST HERBAL/BOTANICAL LIQUEUR; BEST IN SHOW LIQUEUR | M. P. Roux Elisir |
| BEST COFFEE LIQUEUR | Evil Bean Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur |
| BEST CREAM/DAIRY LIQUEUR | Member’s Mark Cinnamon Churro Cream Liqueur |
| BEST APERITIF | Tree House Distillery Perrine Key Lime Aperitivo |
| BEST NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRIT | Lyre’s Italian Orange |
| BEST NON-ALOCHOLIC COCKTAIL; BEST IN SHOW READY-TO-DRINK | St. Agrestis Phony White Negroni |
| BEST HARD SELTZER | Hummy Asian Pear Soju Seltzer |
| BEST VODKA SODA | Crafthouse Cocktails Moonlighter Vodka Spritz |
| BEST VODKA-BASED | Crafthouse Cocktails Moscow Mule |
| BEST TEQUILA/AGAVE BASED | Austin Cocktails Bergamot Orange Margarita |
| BEST WHISK(E)Y BASED | Snazzy Whiskey Half & Half Cocktail |
| BEST WINE BASED | Craftwell Cocktails Cranberry Mule |
| BEST RUM BASED | Crafthouse Cocktails Mai Tai |
| BEST CLASSIC COCKTAIL | Oakside Cocktail Company Rye Old Fashioned |
| BEST MIXER | Nina’s Cocktails Natural Michelada Mix |
| BEST SPECIALTY COCKTAIL PRODUCT | CR Citrus Smoked Cara Caras |
| BEST NEW VODKA | Summum Vodka |
| BEST NEW GIN | West End OG Edition Gin |
| BEST NEW MEZCAL | Chinga Quedito Sierra Negra Mezcal |
| BEST NEW RUM | Liberty & Plenty Overproof Rum |
| BEST NEW BOURBON | Lasso Motel DARTS Cigarette Blend Bourbon |
| BEST NEW RYE WHISKEY | Never Say Die Rye Whiskey |
| BEST NEW JAPANESE WHISKY | Sakurao Single Malt Japanese Whisky TOGOUCHI MISTY STILLMAN’S SELECTION |
| BEST NEW SCOTCH | D’YAVOL VORTEX Blended Scotch |
| BEST NEW NON-ALCOHOLIC | Dada Chapel Spritz Spectacular |
| BEST NEW READY-TO-DRINK | Avenue 8 Blood Orange Yuzu Paloma |
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