CEDAR PARK, TEXAS (PRWEB) – Each year the Texas Whiskey Festival hosts a competition to determine who has the best Texas Bourbon, Rye, Malt Whiskey, and newly added Flavored Whiskeys. The categories are also broken out between grain to glass and aged & bottled in Texas products. Both are spectacular but different, so we want to highlight that. The winners are chosen by a panel of judges in a blind tasting.
“We view the contest and awards as a guide for people to discover new whiskeys,” says Co-Founder Jake Clements. Everything entered in the contest is available for purchase by the bottle or glass, with some being in distribution and others being distillery-only releases.
These are the winners chosen by the judges, so we let Festival attendees have the opportunity to vote on their favorite distillery to decide the people’s choice award. Remember, the best whiskey is the one you like.
Bourbon: Grain to Glass
- Gold – Silver Star Spirits – 1849 Straight Bourbon
- Silver – Balcones Distilling – Blue Corn Bourbon finished in Wine Casks
- Bronze – Yellow Rose Distilling – Harris County Bourbon
Bourbon: Aged and Bottled in Texas
- Gold – Treaty Oak Distilling – 16 Year Tennessee Whiskey
- Silver – Oak & Eden – Anthro Series: Forrie J Smith
- Bronze – Dime Box Distilling – Single Barrel 6yr Sixth Street Bourbon
Rye Whiskey: Grain to Glass
- Gold – Balcones Distilling – Texas Rye Bottled in Bond
- Silver – Giant Texas Distillers – Cask Strength Rye
- Bronze – Shire Distilling – Rye Whiskey
Rye Whiskey: Aged and Bottled in Texas
- Gold – Blackland Distilling – Rye Whiskey
- Silver – Old Humble Distilling – Double OakStraight Rye Whiskey
- Bronze – Yellow Rose Distilling – Rye Whiskey
Malt Whiskey: Grain to Glass
- Gold – Crowded Barrel Whiskey Co. – Single Mom Single Malt
- Silver – Andalusia Whiskey Co. – Bottled in Bond Single Malt
- Bronze – William Price Distilling – Single Malt Sherry Finished.
Flavored Whiskeys
- Gold – Blackland Distilling – Texas Pecan Brown Sugar Bourbon
- Silver – Treaty Oak Distilling – Old Fashioned Cocktail
- Bronze – Silver Star Spirits – Texas Honey
Thank you to the Wizard Academy for hosting us. A big thank you to our talented judges.
- Mark Shilling is the CEO at SUSTO Mezcal and Partner at Big Thirst. Former president of the American Craft Spirits Association and long-time advocate for the spirits industry instrumental in key legislative efforts.
- Big Thirst represents some Texas brands, but Mark does not work on the production of any brands in the whiskey category.
- Samantha Fletcher has 20+ years in the beverage and hospitality industry, mainly focused around education and business development. A champion of the craft, Samantha continues to advocate and spread the knowledge of the bold and unique world that is Texas Whiskey.
- Matt Zitrick has enjoyed whiskey since birth, but really got into it when he turned 5 making cocktails with his grandfather. He is a level 3 Whiskey Sommelier, has run the Whiskey Crusaders YouTube Channel/Events since 2019, and has one the largest collections of Whiskey in America at over 3,000 bottles from around the globe. A supporter of all things Texas, and the best whiskey is the one you are enjoying right now.
About the Texas Whiskey Festival
The festival’s mission is simple: To help promote and enhance the brands of the many great distilleries throughout Texas. As an organization, we know that Texas has some of the best distilleries and whiskeys globally. The Texas Whiskey Festival is an opportunity to showcase that. For more information, please visit https://txwhiskeyfest.com.
“To have a wine receive a medal here is no small achievement,” stated Debra DelFiorentino, CEO / Executive Director of the Sunset International Wine Competition. “Our competition is one of the most respected, recognized for consistently identifying the best wines produced internationally. This contest again drew top-level wines, and our hand-picked, top-quality judges determined which wines stood out as worthy of accolades.”
Photo Credit: Jakob N. Layman
“The Toast of the Coast Competition is always a most worthwhile wine judging arena for the fruitful labors of our Temucula-based master winemakers Jon McPherson, Javier Flores and their dedicated team,” said Jeff Carter, president of Carter Hospitality. “South Coast Winery’s Double Gold placements for Meritage 2017 and Grenache Blanc 2020 and Carter Estate Winery’s Double Gold for its Daybreak with bottling in 2022 are accomplishments we are especially proud of achieving.”
This competition, hosted by parent company Tasting Alliance, is the oldest, biggest and most influential competition in North America. This year, approximately 5,000 spirits were evaluated over two weeks in April 2022 by a panel of 70 judges from around the world. This represented the largest number of entrants that the competition has ever received.
NYIWC Winners from CA in 2021
Kilinga is a boutique, family-owned Bacanora distiller and brand founded in 2018 by Rodrigo Bojorquez Bours in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. Inspired by and named for his mother, Kilinga, La Señora Kilinga is the vibrant matriarch and heart of the family. The company’s first official bottling was in the fall of 2019 which was awarded silver at the San Francisco Spirits Competition. It is the first officially designated Bacanora by the Consejo Sonorense Regulador del Bacanora available in the United States, and the second brand in Mexico to have the authentic Bacanora designation.
The SFCWC is the largest competition in North America and over its 22 years has become one of the world’s most respected wine competitions. Its esteemed judges come from the worlds of winemaking, media, trade, education and restaurant/hospitality industries.