Best Bourbon in the World: 2024 Winner at International Whisky Competition

World’s Best Bourbon 2024, According to International Whisky Competition

Here at Soaking Oak we’re always asked something along the lines of “what’s the best bourbon in the world?” Well, obviously it’s from the USA, since that’s where the category is legally produced. Nonetheless, an international panel of judges have been trying to get to the bottom of this annually for the past 15 years. Think of it as the Olympics of whisky competitions, trying to identify the World’s Best Bourbon 2024 edition!

READ MORE: 2024 Bourbon Release Calendar

Moreover, just like the Olympics, this competition rewards contestants with only one Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze medal per whisky category. That’s if the entries score above 85 points, the baseline requirement to be eligible for a medal. With that being said, the title for the Best Bourbon in the World is actually a repeat from last year.

This Kentucky distillery located in Frankfort, KY is no stranger to whisky competition success. As a matter of fact, they secured two out of the three top spots for the category Best Bourbon Whiskey. Although, they come from different brands within the distillery’s portfolio. Nonetheless, consistency is key, right? It’s no coincidence that the tours for this stop off the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are regularly sold out months in advance.

For two years in a row, the title of Best Bourbon in the World was awarded to George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This annual release from Buffalo Trace Distillery is part of their infamous 5-bottle Antique Collection, otherwise known as BTAC. This limited edition release is an uncut and unfiltered barrel proof expression, so there are certainly differences from this winning spirit versus the George T. Stagg expression that won last year.

This World’s Best Bourbon 2024 edition George T. Stagg is a hefty 135 proof (67.5% ABV), and was aged for 15 years and 3 months. The price for this bottle of Stagg is $125 MSRP, however secondary prices push it closer to four digits. With all of that complex barrel strength is lush toffee sweetness and dark chocolate with hints of molasses, vanilla, and fudge. On the palate, you can also find notes of dark berries, tobacco, dates, and hints of coffee.

Let’s get into the overall results across multiple categories of American Whiskey.

2024 International Whisky Competition
Official Results

Best American Whiskey (All Categories)

1st Place: George T. Stagg – 94.98 Pts
2nd Place: NOCO Distillery – Founders Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon – Mash Bill #: II – Cask Strength – 94.49 Pts
3rd Place: W. L. Weller Antique 107 – 94.07 Pts

Best Bourbon Whiskey

1st Place: George T. Stagg – 94.98 Pts
2nd Place: NOCO Distillery – Founders Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon – Mash Bill #: II – Cask Strength – 94.49 Pts
3rd Place: W. L. Weller Antique 107 – 94.07 Pts

Best Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (Full Proof)

1st Place: George T. Stagg – 94.98 Pts
2nd Place: NOCO Distillery – Founders Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon – Mash Bill #: II – Cask Strength – 94.49 Pts
3rd Place: Old Hamer Straight Bourbon Cask Strength – 92.49 Pts

Best Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

1st Place: 1792 Small Batch – 89.93 Pts
2nd Place: Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 89.89 Pts
3rd Place: Larceny Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 88.75 Pts

Best Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon Whiskey

1st Place: 1792 Bottled in Bond – 93.95 Pts
2nd Place: Buzzard’s Roost – Bottle-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 92.04 Pts
3rd Place: Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 89.83 Pts

Best Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

1st Place: NOCO Distillery – Founders Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon – Mash Bill #: II – Cask Strength – 94.49 Pts
2nd Place: 1792 Single Barrel – 91.77 Pts
3rd Place: Benchmark Single Barrel – 91.13 Pts

Best American Cask Finish

1st Place: RD1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished With Brazilian Amburana Wood – 93.03 Pts
2nd Place: RD1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In French Oak – 91.67 Pts
3rd Place: Hugh Hamer Straight Bourbon Double Oak 103 proof – 91.42 Pts

Best American Single Malt Whiskey

1st Place: Bear Fight – American Single Malt – Triple Oak Finished – 91.48 Pts
2nd Place: Bird Creek – Single Malt – Cask Strength – Baronesse Barley – 90.14 Pts
3rd Place: Bird Creek – Single Malt – Cask Strength – Full Pint Barley – 89.59 Pts

Best American Rye Whiskey

1st Place: Buzzard’s Roost – Straight Rye Whiskey – 93.7 Pts
2nd Place: Rare Character Straight Rye Whiskey – TKO-027 Selected by Grapevine Lakeland – 92.93 Pts
3rd Place: Hard Truth – Sweet Mash Rye – 91.61 Pts

Best Cask Strength American Rye Whiskey (Full Proof)

1st Place: Rare Character Straight Rye Whiskey – TKO-027 Selected by Grapevine Lakeland – 92.93 Pts
2nd Place: Hard Truth – Sweet Mash Rye – 91.61 Pts
3rd Place: Lasso 8 Year Cask Strength Rye Whiskey – 91.55 Pts

Best American Rye Bottled-In-Bond Whiskey

1st Place: Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye Tennessee Whiskey – 88.96 Pts
2nd Place: Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond Straight Rye Whiskey – 88.23 Pts

Best American Wheat Whiskey

1st Place: Bernheim Barrel Proof A224 Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey – 90.8 Pts
2nd Place: Lasso 6 Year Wheated Whiskey – 85.87 Pts
3rd Place: Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey – 85.43 Pts

Best American Blended Whiskey

1st Place: Traveller Whiskey – 85.08 Pts

Best American Corn Whiskey

1st Place: Rockfish Whiskey

Best Micro Distillery Whiskey – (Under 100,000 bottles/based on highest scoring whiskey)

1st Place: NOCO Distillery – (CO, USA)
2nd Place: Buzzard’s Roost Spirits – (KY, USA)
3rd Place: West Fort Whiskey Co. (IN, USA)

So there you have it, the results are official from the 2024 International Whisky Competition. The Best Bourbon in the World is George T. Stagg, according to the panel at least. It’s safe to say this Kentucky distillery is the real winner when it comes to the World’s Best Bourbon!