All the while, I do not know what I am tasting and do my best to make sure my palate does not become fatigued. I then tasted the 15 again, scoring once more, and ranked them based on their combined average score of the three tastings. I averaged their scores of the two rounds and move the Top 15 to the finals. The top tier move onto the next round, where they are scored again. In the first round, I assess the aroma, taste and finish, scoring on a scale of 100.

The Tasting CriteriaĪfter selecting the Top 100, it all comes down to the tasting. If somebody is anti-craft, my list is not for you. Whether it’s Spirits of French Lick or Pacific Coast, craft brands have found their standing in the mass sea of liquor store shelves and they’ve won my palate for good. Throughout the year, I spend a great deal of time seeking the next great distillery and blender in hopes that my discovery leads to somebody else enjoying it. This year, I had two rice whiskeys on the list, several blend of straights and a plethora of craft whiskeys that rarely get attention. Luke and Nassif enter the market with blends worthy of every whiskey lover’s attention.Īs I assessed the more than 800 American whiskeys tasted in competitions - San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the American Spirits Council of Tasters - at Blind Bourbon events, YouTube reviews and random tastes on my own time, I factored in aroma, taste and finish, as well as asking the question: “Does this product add something important to the American whiskey scene?” I suppose, you could put the latter in another question: Does it excite me? If you’d like to see the summary, here are the top finishers, category by category.When I look back on the 2022 American whiskey scene, I saw so much promise from craft distillers such as Frey Ranch, Boulder Spirits and JT Malek, while the once ugly word “blend” became a stalwart in American whiskey. The link to watch the full tasting – with a list of all the contenders – is above. Here are the categories: Best Bourbon, Wildcard Bourbon, Best American Single Malt, Best Blend of Straights, Best Rye, Best Wheat Whiskey, Best Corn Whiskey, Best Celebrity Whiskey and Best Barrel Finish. Note: Five of the finalists won uncontested in their respective categories. Well, now the wait is over, and the winner has been chosen – well, actually there were nine winners, one each across nine categories that featured more than 40 whiskeys in total, culminating in an overall winner. The nearly three-hour session was the culmination of a process, yielding a few surprises and memorable moments, finishing as a fine way to cap off a sometimes-beleaguering 2020. Whiskey fans the world over have waited for this – through a pandemic, no less – all year: It’s Fred Minnick’s Best American Whiskey of 2020.Īll year, as Fred tastes bourbon and whiskey each week, he adds the best of the bunch to his list for one last, winner-take-all, blind taste-off.

Fred minnick bourbon