Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Worlds Best Bourbon IWSC 2025 98 Points 100 Proof 50% ABV 750ml

In September 2025, a blind tasting panel at the International Wine and Spirit Competition — which included Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie and Ardbeg — scored Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon 98 out of 100 points, awarded it the Gold Outstanding Medal, and named it World's Best Bourbon. It beat W.L. Weller. It beat Eagle Rare. It outscored entries from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. For a brand founded in 2022, it is one of the most remarkable competitive results in the history of American whiskey.

What makes the result credible rather than ceremonial is the format: the IWSC is a rigorous blind competition founded in 1969, where judges have no knowledge of producer, price, or packaging. The bottle that won looks like nothing else in bourbon — minimalist, nearly label-free, architectural — and the liquid inside was judged entirely on its own terms. Those terms included apple tart, custard, and dried apricots on the nose; buckwheat honey, vanilla, and warm spice on the palate; and a satisfying leather and oak finish. Clean, fruit-forward, deeply balanced, and modern in its sensibility without abandoning the Kentucky character that makes bourbon bourbon.

Frank August also earned two Double Gold and three Gold Medals at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition across its range in the same year — confirming that the IWSC result was not a fluke but the expression of a consistently exceptional blending philosophy. This is the world's best bourbon. Blackwell's carries it.

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Origins & Craftsmanship

Frank August was founded in 2022 by Johnathan Crocker — former fashion executive and co-founder of Game Changer Distillery — with a founding philosophy as deliberate and minimalist as the bottle it lives in: evolve the identity of bourbon by uniting authenticity with modernity. No heritage mythology. No frontier legends. No elaborate backstory. Just the whiskey, the blending, and the design — all three held to an uncompromising standard.

Frank August operates as a non-distilling producer, sourcing Kentucky straight bourbon from undisclosed distilleries and assembling it in Bardstown — the Bourbon Capital of the World — under the close direction of Crocker and his team. Every bottle of Small Batch is built from precisely 10 to 15 hand-selected barrels, chosen for their complementary character and structural compatibility, then blended to a unified profile. While the exact age is undisclosed, federal labeling regulations confirm a minimum of four years in new charred American white oak — and the depth of character the IWSC judges identified in blind tasting speaks to considerably more development than that legal baseline.

The bourbon is bottled at 100 proof — 50% ABV — a deliberate choice that presents full, expressive flavor without the heat that can mask subtlety at higher proofs. Non-chill filtration preserves the natural oils, texture, and aromatic compounds that careful barrel selection has developed. The bottle itself has won multiple design awards: architectural, nearly label-free, with a removable back label that allows it to function as a permanent decanter long after the bourbon is gone. Frank August's ethos is fully realized in both the container and its contents — a rare achievement in any spirits category.

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Critics Reviews

International Wine and Spirit Competition — World's Best Bourbon | Gold Outstanding Medal | 98/100 (2025)

The IWSC judging panel included Dr. Bill Lumsden (Director of Whisky Creation, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg), Millie Milliken (spirits and cocktails writer), Reece Sims (founder of Flavor Camp), and Ryan Mills (whiskey educator). The panel's official tasting notes described the nose as "a delightful mix of apple tart, custard, and intriguing dried apricots," the palate as "a refined medley of buckwheat honey, dried apricots, vanilla, and warm spice," and the finish as delivering "a satisfying hint of leather." 98 points is the competition's highest distinction.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition — Two Double Gold Medals, Three Gold Medals (2025)

Five awards across the Frank August range in the same competition year — the most consistent single-year performance of any Frank August release.

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Tasting Profile

Nose Refined, layered, and immediately compelling. Caramel and vanilla open with classic bourbon warmth before the nose reveals what impressed the IWSC panel: apple tart, custard, and dried apricots — fruit-forward and pastry-like in a way that feels simultaneously unexpected and completely natural. Green apple and citrus add a bright, modern freshness alongside warm cinnamon and mild baking spice. Toasted oak and a thread of sweet pipe tobacco ground the whole in genuinely mature Kentucky character. Rich, aromatic, and more complex than any 100-proof bourbon at this price point has any right to be.

Palate Velvety, full-bodied, and beautifully integrated — the non-chill filtration evident in the coating richness of the mouthfeel from the first sip. Buckwheat honey and dried apricots arrive first — the precise flavors the IWSC judges identified — followed by vanilla bean, brown sugar, and caramel apple. Rye spice builds steadily through the mid-palate: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cracked white pepper balanced by honeycomb, nougat, and a soft custard sweetness that reflects the careful barrel selection underlying every batch. Pear and sweet apple add fruit brightness alongside the deeper caramel notes, and a whisper of licorice and dried cherry add complexity at the center. The 100 proof delivers genuine presence without heat.

Finish Silky, spiced, and long. Rye spice and white pepper lead the close before giving way to butterscotch, vanilla bean, nutmeg, raisin, seasoned oak, and the leather note the IWSC judges specifically called out — dry, mature, and quietly distinguished. Clean, refined, and persistent. One of the most accomplished finishes at any price point in its category.

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Quick Overview

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Serving & Occasion

Best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn or tulip glass with 10–15 minutes of breathing time — the apple tart, custard, and dried apricot notes open considerably with air. A few drops of water deepens the honey and vanilla mid-palate and softens the rye spice beautifully. A single large ice cube works well for a slower, more exploratory pour. Outstanding alongside baked apple desserts, pecan pie, aged cheddar, dark chocolate, and spiced shortbread. The award-winning decanter design makes it one of the most visually distinguished gifting bourbons at any price point — a bottle that conveys seriousness and taste before it is even opened.

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Cocktail Suggestions

Frank August Old Fashioned (the definitive serve) 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over a large ice rock. The apple, custard, and rye spice character of the world's best bourbon produces an Old Fashioned of exceptional balance — the orange peel amplifies the dried apricot and citrus notes already present, and the bitters frame the whole with precisely the structure the bourbon was built to handle.

World's Best Manhattan 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · 1 oz sweet vermouth · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Luxardo cherry. Stirred over ice, served up in a chilled coupe. The custard and dried fruit character identified by the IWSC panel locks directly into sweet vermouth's botanical sweetness — a Manhattan of genuine elegance that showcases why this bourbon earned its title at the competition's highest level.

Frank August Sour 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · ¾ oz fresh lemon juice · ½ oz honey syrup · optional egg white. Shaken hard, served over ice or up. Honey syrup echoes the buckwheat honey palate note the IWSC judges identified. Lemon mirrors the apple tart freshness on the nose. The egg white version creates a pale, creamy foam that carries the custard and apricot aromatics beautifully on the nose before each sip.

Kentucky Mule 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · ginger beer · ½ oz fresh lime · lime wheel. Built over ice in a highball or copper mug. The 100-proof rye spice and apple character carry cleanly through even in a long drink — the ginger amplifies the baking spice notes already present, and the result is a Kentucky Mule of unusual refinement and complexity.

Frank August Highball 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · chilled sparkling water · expressed lemon peel. Built over ice in a tall glass. The simplest serve that lets the apple tart and custard character of the world's best bourbon speak without interruption — clean, refreshing, and more expressive than any standard highball format suggests.