The World’s Best Bourbon—According To The 2026 ASCOT Awards

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Earlier this week we gave you exclusive details on the world’s best scotch, according to the prestigious palates at the 2026 ASCOT Awards. Today we’re back with an even bigger reveal from that same competition, this time in the realm of bourbon. We won’t waste a moment in telling you that the top honor belongs to George T. Stagg – a cask strength allocated offering from the beloved Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC).

It’s a bottle that’s all-too-familiar to fans of American whiskey and we’ve got plenty to say about the choice, nonetheless. Especially considering that the ASCOTs have also named it the "Best In Show" whiskey for the calendar year. It’s the highest prize possible across every style of the category including bourbon, rye, Irish, Scotch, Japanese…You name it, this one bested them all.

To better understand what makes this juice so praiseworthy, here’s a little rundown of what the judges officially said in their initial round of blind tasting:

“Beautiful dark color in the glass. On the nose, there is sarsaparilla, clove , and nutmeg. Lots of dried fruits; quite lovely and velvet-like in texture. Smoky, chocolatey, hints of torched cherry skin, leathery finish. If i didn’t see the proof, I never would have guessed it.”

About that last note: though George T. Stagg exists as an indispensable part of the annual BTAC releases, individual expressions fluctuate slightly in age and proof from year to year. The expression in question, released last autumn, held a hearty 71.4% ABV. That places it over the 140-proof “hazmat” threshold, and positions it amongst the strongest Staggs ever – in the brand’s 24 year history. Through that heat I picked out a bit of jalapeño pepper along with sarsaparilla spice in a specularly unhurried finish.

Uncut and unfiltered, it was aged at the distillery’s historic Frankfort, Kentucky home for nearly 15 and a half years. Award-winning whiskey writer Fred Minnick, who organizes the ASCOT Awards, has already gone on record calling BTAC one of the most defining limited edition series in all of whiskey – not just American whiskey, but all of whiskey." And when it comes to Stagg in particular, the esteemed critic had already placed the 2025 iteration in pole position atop his own separate list of the 100 best whiskies of last year.

At the time Minnick discerned notes of brown sugar and peach cobbler in the mix. And said that simply nosing the bourbon was akin to walking into a Kentucky barrel warehouse. At ASCOT, he was joined by nearly two dozen fellow experts who convened to taste this whiskey--along with hundreds of others--in a sort of playoff system, where the consensus favorites move ahead into further rounds of head-to-head competition.

Of course George T. Stagg is no stranger to accolades. The allocated bourbon was named after a 19th century icon of American whiskey, who once owned the direct predecessor to Buffalo Trace. Today the liquid is every bit as legendary as the man it was named after. It won in 2024 at the International Whisky Competition. After highlighting that honor, a colleague lampooned the occasion with the sarcastic headline: “Stagg Wins 'Best Bourbon’—In Other News, Water is Wet.”

But just like cliches become cliches for a reason, Stagg keeps hauling home medals because it’s darn good bourbon. And it’s ripped from shelves almost instantly each autumn for the same reason: people can’t get enough of it. As a result, its $150 suggested retail price exists primarily as a taunt. You’ll usually have to spend around $1000 to secure this bottle on the secondary. Is it worth it? That depends on how much money you’re willing to spend on whiskey. Is it excellent? That’s undeniable at this point. The latest results from the ASCOTs is simply the most recent confirmation.

Alas, if four-figure-priced bourbon just isn’t all that palatable to you, there is a worthwhile reprieve. Buffalo Trace is kind enough to grace us with a more accessible Stagg – formerly known as Stagg Jr. This one is available year-round, relies on the same mash bill as its older sibling and is also bottled at barrel strength. Best of all, you can regularly find it on shelves for under $200.

Frankfort, Kentucky, Barrels of bourbon aging in a warehouse at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. (Photo by: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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