The Singapore World Spirits Competition just revealed its top tasting entries for 2024. And it’s kind of a big deal. Along with the New York and San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the event rounds out a “Triple Crown” of prestigious judgings put on annually by the Tasting Alliance.
Winners from these events can find their fortunes transformed overnight—quite literally. Consider the fact that when Tito’s Vodka won Double Gold in San Francisco back in 2001, it was a relatively obscure brand. Shortly after earning the honor, it saw case sales soar. Today it’s the top-selling spirit in the United States.
All this is to say, these awards are about more than bragging rights; they affect a product’s popularity on the shelf. Which is why you ought to get your hands on a bottle of Full Proof bourbon from Barton 1792 Distillery as soon as you can. For it has just been named the 2024 “Best In Show” bourbon by those expert judges in Singapore.
What won them over, exactly? Well, here are some vital stats on the award-winning liquid…
Full Proof is a 62.5% ABV heavy hitter that noses with a bunch of berry fruit (so long as you can sniff past the boozy heat, that is). In the sip, the charred oak hallmarks of the category are here aided by the presence of brown sugar and apricot. A spot of cinnamon spice emerges in a lengthy finish. It’s nuanced, but enough to carry each sip through a sizable evolution from sweet to spice.
The liquid aged for a minimum of four years in barrelhouses on the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky. As spirit matures through hot and humid bluegrass summers, the notorious Angel’s Share pulls more water from the wood than whiskey. So alcohol percentage actually goes up. As a result, this isn’t a barrel strength liquid. Instead, it has been proofed down after aging, returning to the exact same ABV at which it filled the barrel: 125—the highest percentage at which you can legally enter bourbon into oak.
And it’s not just the Full Proof that’s been winning over praise as of late. In fact, it’s been a banner year for Barton. In February, we reported that the distillery’s 12-Year-Old offering took home the top spot for Best Bourbon at the 2024 World Whiskies Awards.
We’re not too surprised by the accumulation of these accolades. After all, the distillery is owned by Sazerac. It’s the very same American family-owned company who operates Buffalo Trace—you know, the makers of Pappy Van Winkle, Weller, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, EH Taylor; the list goes on and on. But you get the point: they’re not strangers to awards.
To be clear, Barton’s is very much a separate facility, about 50 miles southeast of Buffalo Trace. Nevertheless, it’s hard to deny the fact that the Bardstown-based whiskey maker has been steadily stepping up its game ever since acquisition back in 2009.
Full Proof, itself, underscores this point. It was a label originally launched in 2016. The 2023 edition which just won at Singapore is far and away the best iteration of the liquid that we’ve tried to date.
You can currently procure some of it rather easily for around $60 a bottle. Don’t be surprised if you see its fortune change after this latest serving of global recognition. We just don’t want to have to drop a fortune of our own in exchange for one.
I’ll be revealing more “Best Of Show” recipients from the Singapore World Spirits Competition, exclusively, in the upcoming week. So, stay tuned and stay curious.
An oak barrel being charred for bourbon use is pulled down by an employee so he can cool it at … [+]