The International Spirits Challenge has released its winners, and there are plenty of incredible bottles to talk about. This list focuses solely on bourbon, including classic names and a few lesser-known bottles that have all picked up at least a gold medal.
As a quick overview, bourbon must be made from at least 51% corn and aged in new, charred American oak. To be called Kentucky Straight Bourbon, it must also be produced in Kentucky and aged for at least two years. Bourbon does not have to be made in Kentucky, but every bottle on this list is.
So, of all of the winners, top-shelf and bottom, which bourbons from this year’s International Spirits Challenge offer the best value sip for your money? Let’s dive into my picks.
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Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 50%, £38/$21, Double Gold Medal
The biggest winner in the bourbon category is also one of the most widely available bottled-in-bond bourbons on the planet.
Made with Heaven Hill’s classic mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is one of the most approachable and foundational bottles of bourbon you can currently buy.
Expect lots of buttery corn, warming oak, lemon and orange-driven rye notes, and a long, toasty finish that reminds you why bourbon is so easy to love.
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READ THE STORYElijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 47%, £45/$35, Gold Medal
Featuring the same mashbill as the Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond above, Elijah Craig Small Batch delivers its flavour in a slightly different way.
Elijah Craig has always been about feeling the oak a little more. The finish rolls out with buckets of butterscotch and a spicier feel, despite the slightly lower ABV. It is a toasty, warming, spicier style of bourbon that can cut through almost any mix in an excellent way.
Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 45%, £30/$30, Gold Medal
This is the first wheated bourbon on the list to pick up a major award, and it is a bottle most drinkers already know well.
Maker’s Mark uses wheat instead of rye to create its smoother, sweeter, creamier flavour profile. With a mashbill of 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley, and its easily recognised red wax top, Maker’s Mark is all about honey, caramel, chocolate, and sweet espresso.
It has won numerous awards in the past, and it is clearly still picking them up today.
Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon, 57%, £70/$40, Gold Medal
Old Grand-Dad is a huge name, and this bottling has the strength to back up its giant flavour profile.
This is a rye-heavy bourbon, meaning it still has a corn base, but with a higher proportion of rye in the mashbill. Specifically, we are looking at 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% malted barley.
The result is a huge, spicy slap of rye that comes across as sweet, earthy tobacco. The corn brings classic bourbon sweetness, balancing the rye’s earthier notes with toffee, popcorn, and melted butter.
An excellent brand, and an excellent bottle.
Larceny Barrel Proof C925 Single Barrel Bourbon, 59.8%, £90/$65, Gold Medal
Another wheated entry, and a bottle we have spoken about a lot on The Whiskey Wash before.
Larceny has an interesting brand history, especially for those who enjoy the more criminal side of storytelling. Its barrel proof version is one of the best value bourbons in general, particularly when the ABV usually hovers around 60%.
Made with a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, this is a showcase of sweetness, richness, and decadence. The barrel proof strength offers an incredible contrast to that hedonistic sweetness, yet it remains a remarkably easy bourbon to drink.
Baker’s 13 Year Old Single Barrel, 53.5%, £150/$150, Gold Medal
I have never really described bourbon as “funky” before, but that is absolutely a word you can use when talking about Baker’s single barrels.
With a mashbill of 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley, this bottle is all about peanut funk. It has these amazing dry, salty, earthy oil notes. You can almost smell the wet cask it came from.
To counter that, there are excellent notes of cherry and tobacco, with occasional flashes of something tropical, like pineapple. Overall, though, this is a deeper, darker, heavier style of bourbon that can take you down some rather unique flavour paths.
If you can find this at RRP, I think it offers great value. But secondary market prices are creeping up.
Kentucky Beau Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 50%, £50/$50, Gold Medal
This was a new one for me, as it is not a bottle we can easily get in the UK.
The bottling has quite an interesting history and is the final entry on this list from Heaven Hill Distillery, which took home a massive haul of medals at this year’s International Spirits Challenge.
Made with a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley, and featuring a wonderful four-legged friend on the front of the bottle, this higher-rye bourbon has enough warmth and spice to make everything feel alright again after a glass.
It finishes with sweet vanilla, caramel, and honey. A true delight.
Final Thoughts On The Best Value Bourbons
There are some incredible winners on this list, combining familiar classics with a few newer discoveries, at least for me.
We live in a world that is constantly looking for something new and shiny to occupy us, however briefly. But realistically, the bottles that are consistently made, widely sold, and repeatedly recognised are often the ones we should return to.
Not only because they are great, but because they give us a true sense of what bourbon is all about.
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