Spirits competitions are a mainstay of the industry, when professionals gather together to reach consensus on the best quality new releases. They can also be a great place to learn about new brands and to get a feeling for what spirits you might want to try at home, especially if you’re shopping online and aren’t able to taste samples in person. Recently, the John Barleycorn Awards announced its Best of Spring 2024 lineup, featuring the highest scoring entries from its competition.
Each high-scoring entry was blind tasted by a panel of professionals to select the best in each category. The awards have a focus on whiskey, with the following spirits selected as the best in their categories for Spring 2024:
- Best Bourbon: Buzzard’s Roost Toasted American Oak Bourbon
- Best Single Barrel Whiskey Bourbon/ Tennessee Whiskey: M&O Spirits Batch 27 Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
- Best American Single Malt: Stranahan’s Sherry Cask
- Best Rye Whiskey: Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey
- Best Single Barrel Rye: King’s Family Distillery Toasted Amburana
- Best American Whiskey: Jacob’s Pardon Small Batch #3
- Best American Single Barrel Whiskey: Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey – Batch 101
- Best World Whiskey: Rampur Jugalbandi #3
- Best Tennessee Whiskey: Jack Daniel’s 10-Year-Old Whiskey, Batch 3
- Best Wheat Whiskey: Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof A224
- Best American Craft Spirit: Starlight Japanese Mizunara Finished Bourbon Whiskey
- Best Scotch Whisky: The Glenlivet 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
- Best Irish Whiskey: Redbreast 15 Year Old
The competition does also cover other spirits though, so awards were also given for categories like best gin (Rampur Jaisalmer Gold Edition), best vodka (High Rock Vodka), and best mezcal (Gracias a Dios Mezcal Espadín). You can see a full list of the winners on the Barleycorn Awards website.
And if you’re curious about even more recommendations for award-winning whiskeys, then you might be interested in recent results from the 2024 International Whisky Competition as well.
