10 Craft Bourbons From Top International Spirit Competitions

This is the second part of our series on the world’s best craft bourbon and whether there is there even such a thing? To answer that question, we looked at the most heavily medaled craft bourbons from the largest spirit competitions over the last decade and assembled a second “Bourbon Hall of Fame” list of the ones most medaled. For space reasons, we limited the awards list to just the top five.

There isn’t a week that goes by without some spirit competition or whisky magazine announcing their choice for world’s best bourbon. In 2023 there were over 50 bourbons that claimed the title of world’s best. More than two-thirds of them were craft bourbons. They all were outstanding but citing more than 50 bourbons as the world’s best seems a contradiction.

There are over 2,000 different bourbon expressions currently available. The top 5%, 100 or so are consistent medalists. A significant portion of those are craft bourbons. Choosing the world’s best between those candidates is highly subjective, regardless of the quality of the judging.

Which one you would personally consider the best is largely a function of the style of bourbon you enjoy. All these expressions are worthy of inclusion into a “Bourbon Hall of Fame”, and any one of them can rightly claim the honor of the world’s best.

This is the third of a four-part series that will examine the most medaled bourbons. Parts one and two examined the “Hall of Fame” bourbons from large producers, while parts three and four examine the “Hall of Fame” bourbons from craft producers.

Journeyman Corsets, Whips & Whiskey is produced at the Journeyman Distillery, Three Oaks, Michigan. Journeyman, founded in 2010, is known for its organic and handcrafted spirits. The distillery is located in an old corset and buggy whip factory, which inspired the name of this bourbon.

Awards: San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold Medal, International Wine & Spirit Competition: Gold Medal, World Whiskies Awards: Best Bourbon, Global Spirits Masters: Master Medal, American Distilling Institute Spirits Competition: Best Craft Bourbon

The nose features caramel, vanilla, and oak, with a touch of smoke. The palate is bold and spicy with toffee, oak, and dark fruit flavors. The finish is long and warm, with a lingering spice and oak finish.