The Best American Whiskeys From The New York World Spirits Competition 2025

The 2025 New York World Spirits Competition awarded eight American whiskeys with the coveted Double Gold medal. These winners span from craft single malts to bold wheat bourbons and inventive finishes. Each represents a unique take on flavour, place, and mash-bill. 

In this round-up, we explore how they’re made, where they come from, and what makes them stand out. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or simply curious to explore beyond your usual pour, these whiskeys mark the current high-water mark for American craftsmanship. Let’s take a look at the winners and find your next bottle.

Traveller Whiskey 

Award: Double Gold, Best Blended American Whiskey

Tasting Notes: Vanilla, aged fruit, buttery shortbread, caramel, oak, spice, toasted nuts 

Find Your Next Bottle: $30

Traveller Whiskey, a collaboration between country artist Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, brings celebrity partnerships into serious whiskey territory. Released in early 2024, the project set out to create an approachable yet refined American blend. More than 50 trial recipes were tested before settling on “Blend No. 40.”

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Unlike many blended whiskeys, Traveller contains no neutral grain spirit. Every drop comes from fully matured straight whiskeys drawn from the Sazerac portfolio. Bottled at 45 percent ABV, it balances creamy caramel sweetness with toasted oak and gentle spice.

Traveller took Double Gold and Best Blended American Whiskey at the 2025 NYWSC, proving that blends can be as artful and expressive as any single-distillery release.

10th Street Peated Single Malt Port Cask Finish 

Award: Double Gold, Best Special Barrel-Finished Whisk(e)y

Tasting Notes: Mixed berry preserves, sweet red licorice, mussel broth, honeycomb, baked fruit cake, white pepper 

Find Your Next Bottle: $75

At first glance, you might mistake 10th Street’s Peated Single Malt Port Cask Finish for a Scotch. It’s made with Scottish peated malt, distilled in copper pot stills, and crafted by founders who trained in traditional techniques. But its heart is pure California. The whiskey ages in ex-bourbon casks before finishing in ruby port barrels, where the region’s warm, dry climate speeds up the process and deepens the flavor.

The result is a bold mix of smoke, fruit, and oak that judges at the New York World Spirits Competition recognized with Double Gold. It’s proof that American single malt can hold its own on the world stage while carving out a flavor identity that’s entirely its own.

K.LUKE Whiskey Company Small Batch Toasted Barrel Strength Batch 5 Rye Whiskey 

Award: Double Gold, Best Rye Whiskey

Tasting Notes: Baking spices, caramel, anise, herbs, cinnamon 

Find Your Next Bottle: $109.99

Winner of Double Gold and Best Rye Whiskey at the New York World Spirits Competition, K.LUKE’s Batch 5 proves how powerful blending can be. The whiskey comes from independent blender Jonathan Maisano, who selects barrels from Kentucky and Indiana before marrying them into small, expressive batches.

For this release, four straight rye barrels were finished for three months in custom toasted oak from Kelvin Cooperage. The secondary aging added soft sweetness and depth without muting the rye spice. Bottled at 117 proof and non-chill filtered, it’s both robust and refined. With only 643 bottles produced, Batch 5 showcases the craftsmanship that earned K.LUKE a place among the year’s most celebrated rye whiskeys.

15 STARS Fine Aged Whiskey 

Award: Double Gold

Tasting Notes: Baking spice, peach pie, cherry, fig, apricot, persimmon pudding, candied fruit, pear, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, toasted oak, cocoa bean 

Find Your Next Bottle: $179

Kentucky’s 15 STARS impressed judges at the 2025 NYWSC with its Double Gold win for Three Kings Fine Aged Whiskey. The father-and-son team behind the brand, Rick and Ricky Johnson, specialize in blending rare barrels of mature whiskey. Three Kings combines 15- and 11-year-old bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskeys from Kentucky and Indiana.

The blend delivers a layered profile of ripe fruit, baking spice, and dark cocoa. Each sip moves from sweet peach and fig to toasted oak and nutmeg. Bottled at 107 proof, it’s rich yet approachable.

By blending three whiskey styles instead of one, 15 STARS created something that feels both familiar and new.

Bespoken Alchemist Series Release #012 Straight Rye Whiskey Finished with Amburana Wood 

Award: Double Gold

Tasting Notes: Baking spice, vanilla sweetness 

Find Your Next Bottle: N/A

Innovation took the spotlight when Bespoken Spirits earned Double Gold at the 2025 NYWSC for Alchemist Series Release #012. This straight rye was finished using Amburana wood, a Brazilian oak known for its intense aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, and sweet spice.

Bespoken uses proprietary technology that mimics years of barrel aging in a matter of weeks by infusing whiskey with heat, oxygen, and carefully chosen wood staves. For Release #012, Amburana added pastry-like warmth and depth to the rye’s natural spice.

While details are scarce and bottles were extremely limited, the win underscores Bespoken’s growing credibility. It shows that technology-led maturation can produce whiskey complex enough to impress even traditionalists on one of the industry’s biggest stages.

Southern Star Bourbon 

Award: Double Gold

Tasting Notes: Caramel, vanilla, grain, leather, rye spice 

Find Your Next Bottle: $35

North Carolina’s Southern Distilling Company brought home a Double Gold at the 2025 NYWSC for its flagship Southern Star Bourbon. The distillery, based in Statesville, revives a pre-Prohibition whiskey heritage while producing all its spirits on-site.

This straight bourbon uses a high-rye mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. The higher rye content brings a lively kick of spice balanced by caramel and vanilla from new charred oak barrels. Bottled at 90 proof, it’s approachable yet flavorful, ideal for both sipping and cocktails.

Judges praised its balance and smooth finish, a hallmark of the brand’s precise production. Southern Star Bourbon proves that small Southern distilleries can now rival Kentucky’s best on quality, value, and consistency.

Southern Star Paragon Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel 

Award: Double Gold

Tasting Notes: Sweet, woody, white pepper, sweet mint, vanilla bean, cardamom 

Find Your Next Bottle: $75

The Paragon Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon Single Barrel’s win at the NYWSC proved that North Carolina belongs in the conversation about great bourbon. Made by Southern Distilling Company, this single-barrel whiskey swaps rye for wheat, giving it a soft, rounded sweetness.

Every barrel is bottled at its natural proof, often around 115, capturing raw intensity and nuance. Expect a mix of vanilla bean, mint, and oak with flashes of pepper and spice. No two barrels taste exactly alike, which adds to the appeal.

For a relatively young distillery, Southern Distilling’s Double Gold win is significant. It signals that the craft whiskey movement in the American South has truly come of age.

Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 10 Year 

Award: Double Gold 

Tasting Notes: Balanced, cherry, vanilla, creamy mouthfeel, pepper, spice, oak 

Find Your Next Bottle: $120

Few American single malts reach ten years of age, but Stranahan’s has always done things differently. The Denver distillery, a pioneer in the category, crafted Mountain Angel 10 Year from 100% malted barley and aged it for a full decade in new charred American oak.

Colorado’s high-altitude climate plays a crucial role here. The dry air and wild temperature swings intensify the interaction between spirit and wood, concentrating flavor as much of the whiskey evaporates to the “angel’s share.” The result is remarkably rich, with layers of cherry, vanilla, and oak spice wrapped in a creamy texture.

Its Double Gold at the 2025 NYWSC cements Mountain Angel as one of the most accomplished American single malts ever produced.