Buffalo Trace Distillery has a lot to celebrate after the results from the 2016 New York World Wine and Spirits competition were released. The Distillery received double gold for its Benchmark Old No. 8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, in addition to claiming four gold and three silver medals.
“We are flattered to receive these awards. To be ranked so highly by such a prestigious competition is a great feeling,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley says. “We take a strong pride in our whiskey making and we are very honored by each of the awards our products were given.”
This year, the number of brand entries increased by 50 percent and the NYWWSC reported that the quality of the brands entered ranked superior. The competition had more top medal winners than has been seen in the past several years.
Those brands awarded Gold included:
- Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Blanton’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Old Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Those brands awarded Silver were:
- Col. E.H. Taylor Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
- Wheatley Vodka
Benchmark Old No. 8 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey received the highest honor, the double gold medal. The double gold medal is given only if every judge awards a gold medal to the product.
This competition is associated with the Triple Crown of Competitions (The San Francisco International Wine Competition and The San Francisco World Spirits Competition), and is in its sixth year. The NYWWSC is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.
