The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) held its fourth biennial blind-judged whiskey competition this summer in St. Louis, Missouri. Craft distilleries in Texas once again joined to compete for the top honors at a national whiskey tasting competition sponsored by Texas Corn Producers.
TCP is proud to announce the 1845 Distilling Company won “Best of State” with its Preemption Texas Straight Bourbon. 1845 Distilling Co is a family-owned and operated artisan distillery located just outside of Lowry Crossing, Texas. But not only did they win Best of State, but they also came out with a gold medal, three silver medals, and a bronze medal.
Other Texas distilleries were also successful such as Garrison Brothers Distillery, Dry County Distilleries, and Sisterdale Distilling Co. Garrison Brothers Distillery walked away with a gold medal and three silver medals. Dry County Distilleries won a silver medal and Sisterdale Distilling Co won a bronze medal.
The Heartland Whiskey Competition was open to craft, corn-based whiskeys from all 50 states that incorporate corn in their mashbill, which is the mix of grains including corn used to make whiskey. This year, 20 “Heartland” states competed in the contest sponsored by state corn organizations.
Each whiskey is based on a 100-point system with 10 main categories of consideration. After being judged, each whiskey was assigned with a medal based on the average score determined by the number of points received.
The 2023 competition saw significant growth in the number of participating states and entries which greatly increased competition for medals. There were 12 whiskeys awarded a gold medal, while 74 received silver, and 47 bronze.
Often without us even realizing it, corn is present in our daily lives. Each component of corn can be used in different ways, which is why it appears in many things from dinner plates to whiskey bottles.
Learn more about each of the Heartland Whiskey Competition winners.
