Last month the New York World Spirits Competition convened for its annual anointment of the best bottles money can buy. The panel consisted of some top names in the industry, including booze writers, bartenders and actual craftspeople. Sequestered in a convention hall in downtown Brooklyn, they sampled through hundreds of entries across all the major categories, whittling them down to winners according to the following tiers: Bronze Silver, Gold, Double Gold, Best In Class…And the top honor of them all, Best In Show.
Today we can exclusively reveal the recipient of that highest tiered accolade. It’s an expression of whiskey you’re unlikely to have ever heard of before. We know this because the brand behind it literally just launched this week. Here’s everything you need to know about 18 Year Old American Straight Whiskey from Lasso Motel.
The 2024 Best In Show winner at NYWSC is a 120-proof belter built from a mashbill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley. It was sourced from MGP in Indiana and aged entirely in used bourbon barrels—which is why the liquid can’t be considered a bourbon in its own right. Remember, unlike scotch or Irish whiskey, bourbon must age in casks that have never before been used.
Despite this unconventional approach for an American whiskey, giving up the bourbon moniker allowed the liquid to mature for nearly two decades without become overly oaky. 18-year-old bourbons can rarely claim the same. The Lasso Motel release exhibits a buttery smooth mouthfeel, despite its high proof point. The nose exudes rich caramel notes, priming the palate for a torrent of toffee and maple syrup awaiting in each sip. In the prolonged finish is dried stone fruit dusted in brown sugar. A prototypical dessert dram, from start to finish.
“I’m not sure I actually even knew what exactly defined American straight whiskey,” admits noted spirits author and NYWSC judge, Aaron Goldfarb. “All I knew was this was easily the best whiskey we tasted.”
It’s pretty high praise when considering the competition, which included entries from a global cadre of perennial all-stars. And for Lasso Motel, it’s a heck of a way to make an entrance upon the beverage scene. The nascent brand is rolling out across Texas and Florida as of this month and will ship nationwide via Seelbach’s. It comes to market with a broad lineup of cask finished whiskies—13 in total, most of which are bottled at 100-proof and set to retail at $70 a bottle. The award-winning 18-year-old, however, will set you back $130.
American Straight Whiskey is aged in used bourbon barrels for 18 years.