Only five bourbons and American whiskeys achieved Double Gold status at this year’s Asia World Spirits Competition. A Double Gold requires unanimous approval from the judging panel.
Rather than chasing trends or rarity, these results point to bottles that stand out on technical quality, balance, and clarity. Some are long-aged classics. Others showcase high proof or modern finishing.
The Asia World Spirits Competition is part of The Tasting Alliance, the same organization behind the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the New York World Spirits Competition. Together, these competitions form one of the most influential judging ecosystems in global spirits.
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Below, we look at how each Double Gold-winning American whiskey is made, who produces it, and what sets it apart.
1792 Aged 12 Years Straight Bourbon
Medal: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Delicate fruit, smoke, vanilla, cocoa
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BUY NOW: $60
Few bourbon distilleries appear as consistently in awards results as 1792 Bourbon. Across international competitions, releases from the brand regularly surface at the top of judging tables. If you follow our awards coverage, the name comes up again and again. That consistency points to a distillery that understands its house style and executes it with discipline.
This 12-year-old expression is produced at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, one of the state’s oldest operating distilleries and part of the Sazerac portfolio. The bourbon is made using Barton’s high-rye mash bill, which brings added structure and spice compared to more corn-forward styles.
Maturation takes place entirely in new charred American oak barrels, with no finishing or secondary wood influence. The focus here is barrel selection and patience. Bottled at 48.3% ABV, the proof preserves body while allowing the extended aging to remain balanced.
Released annually in limited quantities, 1792 Aged 12 Years shows why the distillery continues to perform so strongly in blind judging environments.
Whilst 1792 Bourbon is available in the UK, it can be a little harder to find. So, I was over-the-moon to come across this bottle at the Midlands Whisky Festival in 2025. Far from being over-oaked (which is a risk with such a high-aged bourbon) it was balanced and restrained, but not shy. Dried fruits, milk chocolate, baking spice, and caramel. Delicious.
1792 Full Proof Straight Bourbon
Medal: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Smoke, sweet vanilla, caramel
BUY NOW: $40
1792 Bourbon Full Proof takes its name from a specific production decision. It is bottled at the same proof the whiskey enters the barrel, which for Barton 1792 is 125 proof.
The bourbon is distilled at the Barton 1792 Distillery using the brand’s high-rye mash bill. While there is no formal age statement, it is thought that the bourbon matures for around eight years in new charred American oak barrels.
Unlike many premium releases, 1792 Full Proof is not chill-filtered, a choice that preserves texture and weight, which is especially important at higher alcohol levels. The result is a bourbon that delivers power while remaining controlled and structured.
Released as part of the distillery’s limited edition program, Full Proof appears regularly but in restricted quantities.
Peg Leg Porker Grey Label
Medal: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, dried fruit, spice, brown sugar, honey, pepper
BUY NOW: $123
This is a bourbon shaped as much by personality as by process. Peg Leg Porker was founded by Nashville pitmaster Carey Bringle, best known for his Peg Leg Porker barbecue restaurant. Bringle focused on sourcing mature Tennessee bourbon and adding a distinctive hickory charcoal filtering process.
As Bringle told The Whiskey Wash in 2019, “What we do different is it’s kind of our take on a process like the Lincoln County process, but we take the bourbon and de-barrel it, then we filter it through hickory charcoal that I actually burn down in my pit at the front of my restaurant.
“We have a hickory charcoal finishing process that gives it our unique signature and flavor and taste.”
After this filtering, the bourbon goes directly into the bottle.
The whiskey itself is a straight bourbon distilled in Tennessee using a classic mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. It is aged for eight years in new charred American oak barrels.
Bottled at 45% ABV, Grey Label is released in small batches with limited distribution. It is a multi-award-winning bourbon, with awards from all of The Tasting Alliance’s biggest competitions.
RD1 Spirits Kentucky Straight Bourbon Double Finished In Oak and Maple Barrels
Medal: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Maple, butterscotch, caramel, roasted pecans, paprika, black peppercorns
BUY NOW: $55
RD1 Spirits earned a Double Gold for a bourbon that leans into modern wood finishing without abandoning its Kentucky base. The brand name is a nod to “Registered Distillery One,” referencing Lexington’s first federally registered distillery. RD1 is still building out its own distilling footprint, so this release starts with sourced Kentucky straight bourbon.
The mash bill is high rye: 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley. The whiskey is aged for at least four years in new charred American oak barrels before the finishing begins.
RD1’s “double finished” approach is not a secondary barrel transfer. It uses French oak staves that are infused with maple syrup under controlled conditions, then added to the bourbon for further aging. This keeps the core bourbon structure intact while adding a distinct layer of wood-driven sweetness.
It is bottled at 99.9 proof. Distribution is still developing, so availability tends to be limited compared with major legacy brands.
Sazerac 18 Year Old Rye Whiskey
Medal: Double Gold
Tasting Notes: Oak, leather, molasses, allspice, mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper
BUY NOW: $1,300
A Double Gold medal for Sazerac 18 Year Old Rye reinforces what many already consider a benchmark American whiskey. This annual release is produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery and forms part of the highly limited Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
Sazerac 18’s mash bill is officially undisclosed, but it is rumored to be made from a a low-rye mash bill. It is thought that the rye percentage sits at just above the minimum 51%, with the remainder made up of corn and malted barley. That recipe produces a softer structure and allows extended aging without aggressive oak dominance.
The whiskey matures for a full 18 years in new charred American oak barrels. That level of aging is rare for rye, which can easily become over-oaked if not carefully managed. Buffalo Trace has historically selected barrels specifically suited to long-term maturation.
Released once per year in extremely small quantities, it remains one of the most difficult American whiskeys to obtain, and always shoots up in price after its release. Good luck finding this at MSRP.
I was lucky enough to taste the full 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection last year. You can read my full tasting notes for every expression here.
