The Global American Whiskey Masters 2015 results

Bourbon wasn’t the only category flying the flag for American whiskey in this round of our Global Masters series, as lesser-known expressions of corn whiskey and moonshine livened up an already exciting contest.

The Global American Whiskey Masters saw a wide variety of entries blind taste tested by expert judges

Marked as one of the spirits categories with the most momentum, American whiskey is forecast to grow by 1.1 million cases this year according to the latest Technomic report, while last year Discus revealed a surge in exports had contributed to a 10% jump in supplier sales to US$2.7 billion (£1.7bn).

As one of the country’s most historic industries, Bourbon in particular has seen a real resurgence. A record breaking 5,669,682 charred oak casks were ageing in Kentucky warehouses in 2014 – the highest figure since 1975 when the state’s distilleries reported 5.8 million barrels, according to The Kentucky Distillers’ Association. This was certainly reflected in the Global American Whiskey Masters, where Bourbon flights made up more than a third of the competition and scooped the highest number of medals all round.

We started the tasting with a jumble of flights which gave judges Mariola Nowakowska, general manager of Chiswell Street Dining Rooms; Garrick Whittaker, spirits buyer for Fine and Rare; Robert Chapman, director of Chapman and Gorn; and Adam McCulloch, bar manager of The Jugged Hare, an insight into the various approaches to Bourbon on the market.

They began with two flights of aged expressions: Bourbon Aged up to 7 Years, and Bourbon Aged 7 Years and Over. Big names in both flights accrued Gold medals, with the former – described by judges as a “good starting round” – attracting two: one for Aldi’s Bluegrass Bourbon, described by Chapman as “nice and different, a delight”, and the other for La Martiniquaise’s Old Virginia 6 Year Old, a “classic Bourbon”.

The Global American Whiskey Masters 2015 judges were set the difficult task of separating the great from the truly masterful

The older of the two age-classified flights saw Beam Suntory’s Knob Creek Bourbon awarded a Gold medal.

McCulloch said: “A well-rounded and flavoursome Bourbon, it perfectly exemplified how that little bit of extra time in the barrel can make all the difference.”

Next came No Age Statement Bourbons, a flight judges thoroughly enjoyed. Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye was awarded a Master for its “delicate palate”, while Knob Creek Rye Whiskey attracted a Gold medal, with notes of “marzipan and butterscotch”.

McCulloch added: “These whiskies hit the nail on the head. A rather pleasant experience showing that an age statement isn’t necessary to define a good whiskey.”

We rounded off the Bourbon entries with a solo Super Premium flight of Balcones Texas Blue Corn Bourbon Special Release; an “exceptional” expression which was awarded the first Master medal.

Whittaker said: “This whiskey was a firecracker. It was fantastic with water added, and you’d expect to add a little at this level to tame and appreciate all the elements. Vanilla, cinnamon, spice and juicy fruits abound.” McCulloch added: “This Bourbon had everything you wanted and needed from a super premium product. The complexity was fantastic, the flavour profile was balanced with subtle sweetness and a nice spice too. The finish was everlasting; s0omething you’d never want to end.”

The American whiskey category is in the midst of a renaissance, but our Master competition recognises the truly exceptional distillers

After a successful show of Bourbon we pressed on to a solitary selection of Rye in the No Age Statement sector, which resulted in both a Gold and Master medal for Knob Creek Rye Whiskey and Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye respectively. Whittaker said: “There was a vibrancy that was really alluring – these were really cool and balanced whiskies that overperformed for a NAS category.”

“I’ve always been a big fan of ryes and this is why,” said McCulloch.“Rebel Yell just edged Knob Creek, but I’d be delighted to drink either of them over and over again.”

Nowakowska added: “The Master was a great example of a rye. It had sweetness on the nose and palate, with very interesting notes of eucalyptus, mint, apples, oranges and a pleasant, grassy finish.”

We swiftly left Rye for another grain – barley – with a collection of three Single Malt flights from Balcones Distilling. The first flight was No Age Statement, and saw Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky Classic Edition awarded a Gold medal. Judges particularly admired its “honeysuckle, anise, raisin, chocolate and dried plum” notes.

McCulloch said: “It’s good to see single malts making an appearance in the States. While they have a way to catch up with the Scots, they’re doing a very good job of it.”

Judges, left to right: Garrick Whittaker of Fine & Rare; Mariola Nowakowska of Chiswell Street Dining Rooms; Adam McCulloch of The Jugged Hare; and Rob Chapman of Chapman & Gorn

The Single Malt, Single Barrel flight was proclaimed “one for the niche market” by judges, as it’s “a tricky product to craft”. Despite the limited appeal Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky Staff Selection, a “dark and stormy” expression, scooped a Silver medal. Single Malts drew to a close with a flight of Super Premium, with Gold awarded to “toffee-led, nutmeg spice” Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky Classic Edition, and Silver awarded to the portfolio’s Staff Selection whiskey.

The second-from-last flight of the day was one of the largest: Moonshine. Popcorn Sutton Distilling won two medals: a Master for The Original Small Batch Recipe expression, and a Gold for its Limited Edition Barrel Finished variant. Whittaker added: “Not knowing what to expect, this category proved interesting. The Master was well-deserved, delivering popcorn ice-cream on the nose and palate.”

Two Silver medals were awarded to Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine and Harley Davidson Road House Customs Moonshine. McCulloch said: “I’m a big fan of the recent rise in moonshine and this is why. An innovative take on an old school spirit, some exploded with flavour and character depth.”

The final round of the day arrived in the form of Corn No Age Statement, a flight of just one Master-worthy entry that packed a punch despite its size, prompting judges to label it “a fantastic round.” True Blue 100 wowed all the judges with its “balanced, spicy nose”, and “rich, peaty” notes. McCulloch commented: “A particularly difficult category to perfect, but this expression has come very close.”

Reflecting on the American Whiskey round, McCullough said: “Year-on-year it’s becoming more evident how whiskey in America is evolving. Lesser known categories like corn, single malt and moonshine are showing great promise for the future, with a lot of distilleries distributing excellent products.

“America has a good share in the whiskey market and is going to take an even larger share if they continue this great form.”

Click through to the following page for the complete list of medal winners from The Global American Whiskey Masters 2015. 

THE GLOBAL AMERICAN WHISKEY MASTERS 201 5
BOURBON: AGED UP TO 7 YEARS
Company	Product	Medal
Aldi	Aldi Bluegrass Kentucky Straight Bourbon	Gold
La Martiniquaise	Old Virginia 6 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon	Gold
BOURBON: AGED 7 YEARS AND OVER
Beam Suntory	Knob Creek Bourbon	Gold
BOURBON: NO AGE STATEMENT
Luxco Inc	Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon	Gold
Luxco Inc	Rebel Yell Small Batch Reserve	Gold
BOURBON: SUPER PREMIUM
Balcones Distilling	Balcones Texas Blue Corn Special Release	Master
RYE: NO AGE STATEMENT
Luxco Inc	Rebel Yell Small Batch Rye	Master
Beam Suntory	Knob Creek Rye	Gold
SINGLE MALT: NO AGE STATEMENT
Balcones Distilling	Balcones Texas Single Malt Classic Edition	Gold
SINGLE MALT: SINGLE BARREL
Balcones Distilling	Balcones Texas Single Malt Staff Selection	Silver
SINGLE MALT: SUPER PREMIUM
Balcones Distilling	Balcones Texas Single Malt Classic Edition	Gold
Balcones Distilling	Balcones Texas Single Malt Staff Selection	Silver

 

MOONSHINE
Company	Product	Medal
Popcorn Sutton Distilling	Popcorn Sutton The Original Small Batch Recipe	Master
Popcorn Sutton Distilling	Popcorn Sutton Limited Edition Barrel Finished	Gold
Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine	Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine	Silver
Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine	Harley Davidson Road House Customs Moonshine	Silver
CORN: NO AGE STATEMENT
Balcones Distilling	Balcones True Blue 100	Master