The World’s Best Bourbon—According To The 2025 International Spirits Challenge

1792 Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Photo illustration: Brad Japhe

For 30 consecutive years the International Spirits Challenge has been evaluating respected liquor brands across all categories, from every corner of the globe. In 2025 its expert panel of judges sipped through thousands of entries compiled from 70 different countries. Ultimately they award these liquids medals ranging from Bronze all the way up to Double Gold. Today we’re taking a closer look at the highest-rated American Whiskey from this year’s competition: 1792 Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Out of all bourbons, ryes, and American single malts sampled, it was the only bottle to take home the top medal. This is a whiskey you can typically take home for less than $40. And yet the prestigious palates of ISC picked it–blind–over other entries that typically sit on the shelf for 10x that cost. What gives?

Well, for starters, the label flaunts fairly prestigious pedigree. It was distilled and matured at the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky–a town frequently regarded as the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” Despite the number in its name, the facility was originally established in its current site back in 1879. Since 2009 it’s been owned by Sazerac, the same family-owned company that runs another quaint little Kentucky operation known as Buffalo Trace.

As for this specific release, it’s no stranger to awards in recent years. Prior to top merits at ISC, this exact expression won “Best in Category” for straight bourbon at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 1792 Bottled In Bond relies on a high-rye mashbill. Though the specific recipe is undisclosed, that secondary grain is believed to account for 15-20%, behind roughly 70% corn. It results in a surprisingly savory sip, with caraway seed contrasting an initial wave of caramelized sweetness.

As is legally required of any bottled-in-bond whiskey, this release is the product of a single distillation season from a single distillery, aged for a minimum of 4 years and bottled at exactly 100 proof. Those production parameters applied here engender a honey-hued juice, nosing gently of candied apple and even fresh mint. It’s lighter than you might suspect from a whiskey at this ABV, but what really stands out is the dynamism between that soft nose and its sturdy mouthfeel–threaded with edges of black pepper spice.

This surprising degree of sophistication is likely what left a lasting impression with the judges at this year’s International Spirits Challenge. And it’s worth pointing out that these were hardly novice palates–or noses, as the case may be. The whiskies panel is helmed by none other than Sir Richard “The Nose” Paterson, celebrated master blender for The Dalmore, and a scotchmaker with just under 60 years of experience.

But what does he know about bourbon? You can answer that after taking a sip of 1792 Bottled In Bond. At $40 a bottle, it’s worth finding out for yourself.