Heaven Hill is the most awarded American whiskey maker at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Photo illustration: Brad Jafe
We spend a lot of time talking about the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and for good reason. Since its inception in 2000, the annual competition has grown in prestige and visibility to become one of the industry's biggest events throughout the year. Producers and brands that win “Best in Show” awards there often see their sales soar as a result.
Despite it only taking place in April, we've only just now been able to exclusively report on the major winners of the 2024 competition. Heaven Hill of Bardstown, Kentucky, is the most awarded US whiskey maker this year. The legendary producer of bourbon and rye won a total of 29 medals across 13 major labels, enough to make the company not only the most acclaimed whiskey maker, but also the most successful US distillery across all spirits categories.
That figure is nowhere near when you also take into account the 35 medals Heaven Hill has won across its subsidiaries: in 2022 the company acquired Samson & Sally, whose portfolio includes FEW and Widow Jane, two popular whiskey brands that won a combined 12 medals at this year's SFWSC.
Evan Williams and Elijah Craig are Heaven Hill Distillery's two most awarded brands, winning seven and six medals respectively. The highest honor, Double Gold, was awarded to the Bottled-in-Bond and two Barrel Proof products.
Overall, it's been another great year for the family-owned brewery. Besides their success in San Francisco, Heaven Hill has launched three new products as part of their Grain to Glass series, and Elijah Craig recently debuted a Toasted Rye. Each new release has received widespread critical acclaim.
The steady, skilled hand of Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll is one of the reasons for its consistently strong reviews, as is its unwavering commitment to quality aging, a hallmark of the brand since it was founded by the Shapira family in 1935. This commitment now applies to over two million barrels in stock.
But what impresses us most about the 2024 Heaven Hill is the fact that it offers such great product at such a wide price range. That means a bottle of the aforementioned Double Gold-winning Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond retails for about $18. Earlier this March, the distillery released the latest in its vaunted Heritage Collection, a masterful 18-year-old bourbon made with the same high-corn mashbill that gives Evan Williams its caramel-filled sweetness. And yet, with a suggested retail price of $300 a bottle, this whiskey is selling out fast.
Not to mention the Old Fitzgerald label, whose biannual releases often command four-figure prices on the secondary market. Released in fall 2023, this liquid touts eight years of aging and was one of the few bourbons to earn the all-important Double Gold certification in San Francisco this year. It's currently selling for just over $400 a bottle, so let's hope it stays relatively close to that price after this latest news.
To get ahead of the rising prices, head here. We always strive to bring you the latest exclusive information from the mysterious world of spirits.
Our Bourbon Trail adventure ended back where we started, in Louisville, but this time at the Evan … (+) Williams Bourbon Experience on the city's Whiskey Row. (Robert Annis/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Tribune News Service via Getty Images
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