- Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon scored 99 points and won three titles at the 2026 Top Shelf Awards: Best Single Barrel Bourbon 11 Years and Older, Best Overall Single Barrel Bourbon and Best Overall Bourbon.
- Launching in March 2026, the 108 proof bourbon is aged for a minimum of 15 years and has a suggested retail price of $150. It will be released each year in limited quantities.
- Elijah Craig’s producer Heaven Hill has been named America’s most awarded distillery for the third year in a row, winning additional awards for its bourbons and accolades for its agave spirits.
The 2026 Top Shelf Awards have announced their winners, and World’s Best Bourbon is a new take on a classic recipe. After scoring 99 points from the judges, Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon took home a trio of titles: Best Single Barrel Bourbon 11 Years and Over, Best Single Barrel Bourbon Overall, and Best Bourbon Overall. Launched earlier this year, the $150 108 proof whiskey is the latest expression of a brand that dates back to 1986.
The winners were announced at the Top Shelf Gala in San Francisco, which honors top performers from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) and the San Francisco Ready to Drink Competition (SFRTDC). The Tasting Alliance oversees both competitions and also organizes annual competitions in New York and Singapore.
The judges praised Elijah Craig 15 for “an incredible use of his evidence” and highlighted a rich nose of “fruitcake and sweet vanilla pie crust…with a light herbaceous touch of pu-erh tea and allspice.” As with all single barrel whiskeys, flavors may vary somewhat from bottle to bottle.
Courtesy of Elijah Craig
Introduced in March 2026, Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is the latest addition to the Elijah Craig line, produced by Heaven Hill. It is distilled from a traditional mash composed of 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye.
The whiskey is aged for a minimum of 15 years in Kentucky warehouses before being bottled at 108 proof. The bottles have a suggested retail price of $150 and will be released in limited quantities each year. Other Elijah Craig single barrel bourbons include 18 year old (90 proof) and 21 year old (94 proof) expressions.
Quick Facts: Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 54% (proof 108)
Production and maturation: Elijah Craig 15 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is distilled from a mash of 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye. It is aged for at least 15 years before being bottled as a single barrel expression.
Availability: Elijah Craig 15 years Single Barrel Bourbon is a limited annual release.
MSRP: 150$
The November 8 gala was a big night for Heaven Hill, which was named America’s most awarded distillery for the third year in a row. In addition to Best Overall Bourbon, Heaven Hill won Best Wheated Bourbon (Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Straight Wheated Bourbon) and Best Single Barrel Bourbon up to 10 years old (Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon). The distillery was also recognized for its agave portfolio, which includes spirits marketed under the Mezcal Vago and Tequila Ocho labels.
“Being named America’s most awarded distillery for the third year in a row is a tribute to the quality of our brands and the commitment of our distillers, blenders and teams behind every bottle,” Kate Latts, co-president of Heaven Hill Brands, said in a press release. “It’s particularly meaningful to see our agave spirits alongside our whiskeys on this stage.”
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