If you follow bourbon, you already know that the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) is as close as the industry gets to a global referee. Now in its twenty-fifth year, the SFWSC has built its reputation on rigorous blind-tasting panels composed of master distillers, veteran buyers, bar leaders, and competition-seasoned palates. Medals aren’t handed out, they’re earned, and winners tend to see real-world impact. Shelves clear. Bottles become harder to find. New drinkers take notice.
That dynamic was on full display at the 2025 Top Shelf Awards Gala held on November 9, where the SFWSC handed out its top prizes. Starlight Distillery’s Japanese Mizunara Reserve Finished Bourbon took home the competition’s highest bourbon honor: Best Overall Bourbon. It’s a milestone not just for the Indiana distillery, but for craft whiskey in general. Starlight also walked away with Best Craft Distiller Whiskey for one of its single-barrel expressions, underscoring the depth of what they’re producing on the Huber family farm where Starlight is located.
Starlight’s Mizunara Reserve Finished Bourbon stood out because it’s not a gimmick and isn’t chasing trends. In speaking with the Huber team, it’s clear they approach finishing with intention rather than flash. The bourbon begins as a selection of standout straight-bourbon barrels earmarked initially for the Family Reserve series, already some of the best distillate the distillery produces. Only then does it undergo a secondary maturation in Japanese Mizunara oak, one of the rarest and most temperamental cooperage materials in the world.
Mizunara’s reputation is well earned. It’s notoriously tricky to work with, expensive to source, and slow to shape whiskey. But when it clicks, it adds a dimension few other woods can match. That’s the case here, as the judges’ notes clearly show.
This Bourbon opens with aromas of nutmeg, hazelnut, mocha, spice, ginger, and orange zest. The palate unfolds with bright cherry, cedar, cinnamon, and spice. A lingering finish highlights oak and cherry, tapering off with vanilla and spice.
This is precisely why the SFWSC matters to drinkers. A medal from this competition isn’t just a nod of approval—it’s a vetted, blind-judged signal that a bottle is worth your time and money. For a category as crowded as bourbon, where marketing often outpaces substance, these results help cut through the noise. Starlight’s victory won’t surprise those who have followed the distillery’s rise, but it will absolutely accelerate demand.
But the 2025 bourbon lineup wasn’t just about one distillery. The field was strong across categories, and the top performers represent a cross-section of where the bourbon world is heading: older expressions making precise use of age, younger bottles showcasing balance and craft, and a surge of interest in regionally distinctive maturation.
If you’re a bourbon fan, now is the moment to seek out the bottles that topped the judges’ scorecards. They represent some of the most exciting, well-crafted, and genuinely distinctive releases on the market today.
2025 SFWSC Top Shelf Bourbon Winners
- Best Straight Bourbon: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C924
- Best Small Batch Bourbon Up to 5 Years: 1792 Small Batch Straight Bourbon
- Best Small Batch Bourbon 6–10 Years: ASW Distillery Fiddler Encore Bourbon – Georgia Oak
- Best Small Batch Bourbon 11+ Years; Best Overall Small Batch Bourbon: O.K.I. Bourbon 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
- Best Single Barrel Bourbon Up to 10 Years: Safai Bourbon 8-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
- Best Single Barrel Bourbon 11+ Years; Best Single Barrel Bourbon: O.K.I. Bourbon 16 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Bourbon
- Best Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon; Best Overall Bourbon: Starlight Distillery Japanese Mizunara Reserve Finished Bourbon
- Best Wheated Bourbon: Frank August Case Study: 05 | Wheated Reserve | 5 Barrel Batch
- Best Craft Distiller Whiskey: Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Bourbon
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