American whiskey is having a rather interesting moment and competitions and awards offer a good reason to explore what is happening beyond the usual favourites. Here are 5 award-winning American whiskeys of 2026 from Elijah Craig 15-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon and Epoch Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey 6 Year Old Cask Strength, to Pinhook 10 Year Vertical Series Bourbon, Starlight Distillery Mizunara Reserve Bourbon and Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10-Year Bourbon whiskey. These award-winning expressions offer a good starting point for exploring American whiskey beyond the usual favourites.
The process of judging the best American whiskeys is carried out by The Tasting Alliance, the parent organisation, which picks spirits from across categories, from its five competitions held earlier including in San Francisco and New York. It then puts the best ones from these competitions to a blind test again and the judges reward them with the biggest prize of them all at the Top Shelf Awards 2026. For instance, this time, in American Whiskeys, the Best in Show Whisk(e)y · Best of Class Rye Whisk(e)y was won by the Baltimore Spirits Company, Epoch Maryland Straight Rye Whiskey 6 Year Old Cask Strength, which had won plaudits at the SFWSC earlier. Here we take a look at the American Whiskeys that won earlier at the SFWSC.
Fifteen years in charred American oak gives this bourbon plenty of character, and it certainly caught attention at SFWSC. Elijah Craig 15-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon won Best of Class Single Barrel Bourbon, 11 Years and Older, Best Overall Single Barrel Bourbon and the coveted Best Overall Bourbon title. Bottled at 54 per cent ABV, it opens with dark fruit, figs and floral aromas before moving into roasted nuts, toasted oak and caramelised sugar. Ginger, cloves and crème brulee bring a little more warmth to the finish. Three major awards for one bottle make this a rather impressive showing.
Not every award-winning American whiskey has to be bourbon. Baltimore Spirits Company, Epoch Maryland Straight Rye took home Best of Class Rye Whiskey and Best in Show Whisk(e)y, the highest whiskey honour at the San Francisco competition. Made entirely from malted and unmalted rye, it is fermented using two yeast strains, distilled in copper pot stills and aged for at least six years in new American oak. Bottled at cask strength, it comes in at approximately 64.7% ABV.
A ten-year-old bourbon with a story that unfolds one vintage at a time, Pinhook's Vertical Series follows a group of barrels as they mature over several years. The 10 Year expression won Best of Class Straight Bourbon. Blended from 75 barrels and bottled at 115.9 proof, it brings together burnt orange, brioche, butterscotch and clove on the nose, followed by brandied cherry, salted caramel, candied pecan and cinnamon. It is an interesting way to explore how time changes the character of bourbon.
Japanese oak and American bourbon make an intriguing pairing in Starlight's Mizunara Reserve. After spending years in new charred American oak, selected bourbon barrels are finished in rare Japanese Mizunara casks. The result brings together creamy vanilla, caramelised sugar and toasted coconut with sandalwood and gentle baking spice. It won Best of Class Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon, making it one of the more distinctive entries on this year's list.
Aged through 40 Kentucky seasons, Henry McKenna Single Barrel is a ten-year-old Bottled-in-Bond bourbon that won Best of Class Single Barrel Bourbon, Up to 10 Years. Bottled at 50% ABV, it offers familiar bourbon pleasures: vanilla, caramel and oak on the nose, followed by honey, spice and sweetness on the palate. Its long, sweet and spicy finish makes it a fitting choice for those who appreciate a more traditional Kentucky bourbon.
From long-aged single barrels to rye bottled at cask strength, this year's winners show that American whiskey comes in many varieties. And if these five whiskey bottles, from Elijah Craig 15, Epoch Maryland, Pinhook 10 to Starlight Distillery whiskey, are any indication, there is plenty more to explore beyond the usual bourbon shortlist.