Heaven Hill Wins Big at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) is in the books, and one distillery stood out above the rest, winning more medals for its whiskey making brands than any other distillery.

If you're in the industry you know that an award from a prestigious competition like the SFWSC can give a small distillery increased recognition among its peers leading to networking and marketing opportunities and exposure to world markets that it otherwise would not have had. The impact on sales and growth can be substantial.

SFWSC Judging

All entrants in the SFWSC, from large industrial producers to small local distilleries, can be assured that their products will be treated fairly, with equal care and attention given to all products. Small distilleries have seen their exposure soar after winning a medal at a Tasting Alliance competition.

The 2024 SFWSC saw more than 35 judges conduct blind tasting on more than 4000 entries from around the world across spirit categories including whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, mezcal, tequila, soju, and sake as well as spiced and flavoured spirits.

The Most Awarded Whiskey Maker

The whiskey maker awarded the most medals this year is Heaven Hill out of Bardstown, KY. That’s quite a feat considering that there were more than 4000 spirits entered from some of the largest producers in the world.

If you ever get a chance to tour their distillery I highly recommend it. They have a great museum describing the history of the distillery and some fun tour and tasting options.

Heaven Hill is the largest independent, family-owned distillery in the world encompassing many brands you’ve probably heard of but didn’t realize were part of the Heaven Hill family. Heaven Hill has done a remarkable job of growing their brand portfolio to include some of the highest quality, premium brands in the world including their flagship Heaven Hill, Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, Larceny, and more. Their brand portfolio includes:

SFWSC Winning Whiskeys and More

I combed through the official list of winners to compile this list of Heaven Hill whiskey brands that won awards this year, including the name of the winning product and the medal awarded. They also won an impressive number of awards for their Bluecoat Gin, Mezcal Vago, Lunazul and Tequila Ocho tequilas, and Deep Eddy Vodka. I’ve added those at the bottom even though they are not whiskey (don’t tell anyone).

It would be well worth your time to seek out a few of these bottles if you can find them in your area. Often, after winning awards, bottles become hard to find, and prices start to creep up, especially in the secondary market where a bottle can sell for many multiple of the MSRP.

Heaven Hill

Bottled-in-Bond – Double Gold

Heritage Collection 2024 Release – Gold

Black Velvet

Reserve – Double Gold

Brenne

10 Year Old Single Malt Cognac – Gold

Estate Cask Single Malt Cognac – Silver

Elijah Craig

18 Year Old – Double Gold

Barrel Proof A124 – Double Gold

Barrel Proof C923 – Double Gold

Elijah Craig x Frootbat ‘Raiders of the Lost Oak’ Barrel Proof Single Barrel Bourbon – Gold

Small Batch Bourbon – Gold

Straight Rye Whiskey – Silver

Toasted Barrel – Silver

Evan Williams

Black – Double Gold

Bottled-In-Bond – Double Gold

Egg Nog – Gold

Peach – Gold

1783 – Silver

Apple – Silver

Honey – Bronze

FEW Spirits

Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon – Double Gold

American Straight Whiskey – Gold

Cold Cut Whiskey – Gold

Immortal Rye Whiskey – Gold

Straight Rye Whiskey – Gold

Bottled-in-Bond Rye – Silver

Straight Bourbon – Silver

Henry McKenna

Single Barrel 10 Year – Double Gold

Larceny

Barrel Proof A124 – Double Gold

Small Batch – Double Gold

Pikesville

Straight Rye Whiskey – Gold

Old Fitzgerald

Bottled-in-Bond Fall 2023 – Double Gold

Rittenhouse

Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled in Bond – Double Gold

Widow Jane

10 Year Old Bourbon – Double Gold

Apple Wood Rye – Double Gold

Lucky 13 Bourbon – Double Gold

Decadence Bourbon Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels – Silver

Paradigm Rye – Silver

Non-Whiskey Winners from Heaven Hill

Yes, I know...not whiskey, but the sheer number of awards won across so many categories is worth noting. Heaven Hill is knocking it out of the park with some truly exceptional products from many of its brands, so I've included these additional medal-winning spirits here.

Bluecoat

Barrel Finished GIn – Double Gold

American Dry Gin – Silver

Elderflower Gin – Bronze

Deep Eddy Vodka

Lime – Gold

Ruby Red – Gold

Lemon – Silver

Original – Silver

Lunazul

Primero Añejo Cristalino – Silver

Primero Humuso – Silver

Mezcal Vago

Elote – Double Gold

Espadin Emigdio Jarquin – Double Gold

Espadin Joel Barriga – Double Gold

Ensamble en Barro – Double Gold

Tequila Ocho

Plata – Double Gold

Reposado – Double Gold

Añejo – Gold

About the SFWSC

The SFWSC is one of 4 worldwide spirits competitions hosted by The Tasting Alliance, and one of the most prestigious spirits tasting competitions in the world. The other 3 are the New York World Spirits Competition (NYWSC), the Singapore World Spirits Competition (SWSC), and the newly formed Latin American World Spirits Competition (LAWSC).

The SFWSC is the oldest and largest spirits tasting competition of its kind, and like all Tasting Alliance competitions, it has set the standard for how a spirits tasting competition should be run and judged. Winning spirits enjoy increased exposure, press coverage, networking and marketing opportunities, and, often, a significant increase in sales which is why so many distilleries enter.

The time and expense are worth it, both for the distilleries, and the consumer. I hope this list helps you find your next great bottle.