The World’s Best Bourbon—According To The 2024 London Spirits Competition

13.04.2024 - 12:33 / forbes.com / London

The results are in from the 2024 London Spirits Competition and there are some serious surprises in the mix. As one of Europe’s most prestigious tasting events, the annual judging brings together 40 esteemed palates from throughout all walks of the booze industry. What they ordain as the best of the best—across a total of 29 different categories—can provide a massive boost to brands, especially upstart craft purveyors.

Today we’re going to take a closer look at what they named as The Best Straight Bourbon of the Year: Charles Goodnight Bourbon, produced by Foley Family Wines.

If you were expecting something out of Kentucky, it’s understandable. After all, the Bluegrass State does account for nearly 95% of total bourbon production. But hold on to your cowboy hats, folks, because this one is from deep in the heart of Texas. Sourced from an undisclosed distillery (or distilleries) therein, Charles Goodnight is a high-rye expression, aged for six years and brought to bottle at a palate-punching 115 proof.

Though it is an unapologetically aggressive pour, there are wondrous flavors that come along with that heat. Namely, dark roast coffee, s’mores, and molasses. There’s also a complex finish to ponder—a lengthy escapade in which those aforementioned sweeter elements resolve themselves in oak spice.

Clearly, the judges in London were won-over by this complexity. And perhaps they even added a drop or two of room temperature water to the dram in order to accentuate it all. In my experience, this is a dram that benefits from such a maneuver.

The distinction at London Spirits marks another big win for brand founder Bill Foley, who named the whiskey after his great-great uncle (a celebrated 19th century Texas rancher). He also happens to own the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL team that took home the Stanley Cup last June, just 6 years after expanding into the league.

Foley owns award-winning wineries in Oregon, California and in Martinborough, New Zealand. And not far from that illustrious Kiwi wine region, he also maintains Wharehaukau, a country estate renowned for its Relais & Châteaux lodge. So he’s no stranger to hauling in merits of distinction. Indeed, for his next project he’s probably going to want to build a bigger trophy room.

But he’s not the only big winner here. This marks another notable moment in the rapid ascension of Texas whiskey. Virtually nonexistent 15 years ago, the subcategory has risen the ranks to establish itself as one of the more lauded regions of production in the US. The liquids are winning fans with a flavor profile as big and bold as the state they represent. So keep your eye on the space. And keep your eye on my column for more big winners from the 2024 London Spirits Competition