The 2025 Top Shelf Awards Gala, part of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, highlighted some fantastic bourbons at this year’s event, spotlighting craft producers and heritage names that continue to redefine what American whiskey can be. This year’s winners impressed judges with innovation, precision, and authenticity.
From single barrels to small batches, and from traditional mash bills to rare cask finishes, these standout bourbons reflect the diversity and depth of the modern bourbon landscape.
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Here’s a closer look at the bottles that took home top honors, and the distilleries behind them.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C924 — Best Straight Bourbon
Tasting Notes: Charred oak, brown sugar, stewed fruit, baking spice, leather, tobacco, caramel, vanillaÂ
Find Your Next Bottle: $70
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C924 is bottled at 129 proof and aged 11 years, uncut and non-chill filtered. It’s part of the triannual Barrel Proof series from Heaven Hill, with each batch released at natural cask strength. The mash bill is 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye.
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Heaven Hill Distillery, located in Bardstown, Kentucky, is one of the country’s largest independent, family-owned distilleries. It’s home to several award-winning labels, including Larceny and Evan Williams. It has also been named Distiller of the Year by Whisky Magazine, not once, but twice.Â
C924 was the final Elijah Craig Barrel Proof release of 2024, continuing the line’s tradition of high-strength, age-stated bourbon.
1792 Small Batch — Best Small Batch Bourbon (Up to 5 Years)
Tasting Notes: Spice, caramel, vanilla, elegant, balanced
Find Your Next Bottle: $24
1792 Small Batch is produced by Barton 1792 Distillery, Kentucky’s oldest fully operating distillery. Located in Bardstown and owned by Sazerac, the distillery dates back to 1879 and is known for its high-rye mash bill bourbon.
Although the bottle carries no age statement, it is thought to contain whiskey aged between four and eight years. This is reinforced by the fact that it was awarded as “up to 5 years”.
The high rye content—estimated between 15 and 25%—adds wonderful spice to its profile. It is bottled at 93.7 proof.
1792 Small Batch is blended in limited quantities to achieve balance and consistency across batches, making it a reliable core expression in Barton’s lineup. It is a multi-award-winning brand.Â
ASW Fiddler Encore Georgia Oak — Best Small Batch Bourbon (6 to 10 Years)
Tasting Notes: “Cooked sweet corn on the nose with floral, seasoned oak, and caramel notes. The palate features a candied sweetness, corn bread, cooked bananas, nuts, caramel, and vanilla flavors. The finish is long and sweet with lingering cooked corn and seasoned oak notes.” – SFWSC Judging Panel
Find Your Next Bottle: $100
Fiddler Encore Georgia Oak is aged at least seven years in 53-gallon char 4 American white oak barrels and finished with charred Georgia oak. It’s bottled at 116 proof and made with a high-wheat mash bill of 51% corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley.
Produced by ASW Distillery in Atlanta, this release reflects the team’s focus on regional identity and creative finishing. The Fiddler series features a range of cask-finished bourbons and annual limited editions.
Encore Georgia Oak was recognized as one of the world’s best small batch bourbons in 2025.
O.K.I. 15 Year — Best Small Batch Bourbon (11+ Years); Best Overall Small Batch
Tasting Notes: “Pronounced caramel and spice notes on the nose. The bourbon is bold and wild, expressing seasoned oak, aged leather, and spice flavors. The finish is long and rich, with lingering leather, spiced figs, and a hint of caramel.” – SFWSC JudgesÂ
Find Your Next Bottle: $299.99
O.K.I. 15 Year is a Kentucky straight bourbon aged for 15 years and bottled at 115 proof. It uses a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Some enthusiasts believe this release may be “Buff Turkey”—a rare 2009-era hybrid distilled at Buffalo Trace using Wild Turkey’s recipe. Whisky Advocate has confirmed this lineage for O.K.I.’s 16 Year, and the 15 Year shares the same hallmarks.
The brand name stands for Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, reflecting its regional sourcing philosophy. Now based in Cincinnati, O.K.I. was revived in 2020 with a renewed focus on transparency and small-batch quality.
This release marked the brand’s first Kentucky-distilled offering since its relaunch, and it earned dual top honors at the 2025 awards.
Safai Bourbon 8 Year — Best Single Barrel Bourbon (Up to 10 Years)
Tasting Notes: Sweet vanilla, caramelized sugar, cherries, tobacco, brown spice, honey, wheatÂ
Find Your Next Bottle: $300
Safai Bourbon 8 Year was contract-distilled in 2016 and aged in Kentucky for eight years before being bottled at 112 proof. Its mash bill includes corn, rye, and two types of malted barley—one of which is honey-roasted, a nod to the founder’s background in coffee roasting.
Created by Mike Safai and released under the Dancing Fox Distilling Co. label, the whiskey matured across two rickhouses, including time in Louisville for final aging.
Only a small number of single barrels were released. Each bottling reflects Safai’s unique vision of crossover craft between roasting and distilling.
O.K.I. 16 Year — Best Single Barrel Bourbon (11+ Years); Best Overall Single Barrel
Tasting Notes: Oak, brown sugar, butterscotch, lime, butter, tobacco, aged leather, spiced vanilla cream sodaÂ
Find Your Next Bottle: $379.99
Another winner from O.K.I Bourbon.Â
O.K.I. 16 Year is a Kentucky straight bourbon aged for 16 years and bottled at around 115 proof. It uses a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Only 19 barrels were released.
Whisky Advocate confirmed this release as a “Buff Turkey” bourbon—distilled at Buffalo Trace around 2009 using Wild Turkey’s mash bill. Wild Turkey reportedly outsourced distillation during a facility upgrade, creating a one-off whiskey that didn’t match either house style. These barrels were later sold to select bottlers like O.K.I., making this a rare hybrid
The revived O.K.I. brand focuses on curating exceptional, mature stock across the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana region.
Starlight Mizunara Reserve — Best Special Barrel-Finished; Best Overall Bourbon
Tasting Notes: French vanilla, baking spice, sandalwood, coconut
Find Your Next Bottle: $149.99
This limited release from Starlight Distillery was aged seven years in new American oak, then finished for several months in rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks.Â
Mizunara oak is native to Japan, incredibly scarce, and difficult to work with due to its porosity and brittleness. However, for those whiskey producers who can tame it, it produces unique notes of sandalwood and incense that add significant depth to the whiskey.Â
This bourbon was bottled at cask strength, typically between 112 and 116 proof, and blended from about eight barrels.
The mash bill blends two bourbon recipes: one with three grains, the other with four. All grain—corn, rye, wheat—is grown on-site at the Huber family farm in Indiana.
Starlight’s grain-to-glass model and small pot stills define its hands-on approach. This finish highlighted their ability to blend tradition with innovation.
Frank August Case Study: 05 — Best Wheated Bourbon
Tasting Notes: Vanilla bean, baked apple, toasted marshmallow, honeyed graham cracker, oak, baking spice, caramel, toffee, dark cherry, cornbread, vanilla custardÂ
Find Your Next Bottle: $135
This limited edition was blended from five barrels of Kentucky straight wheated bourbon, each aged six to seven years. It was bottled at 104.5 proof and non-chill filtered. The mash bill is undisclosed, but the absence of rye confirms its wheated profile.
Frank August is a modern, design-forward brand founded in 2022. Based in Kentucky, it partners with established distilleries to source select barrels for its releases. The “Case Study” series explores different production approaches through small, carefully constructed batches.
Case Study: 05 reflects the brand’s focus on transparency, craftsmanship, and precise, contemporary presentation.
