Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Blackwells Exclusive Engraved Bottle Cap Worlds Best Bourbon IWSC 2025 100 Proof 50% ABV 750ml
In September 2025, a panel of judges at the International Wine and Spirit Competition — which included Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie and Ardbeg — tasted Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon blind, scored it 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 beat the most established names in Kentucky. For a brand founded in 2022, it is one of the most remarkable competitive results in modern bourbon history.
The bottle you are looking at right now is not the standard version available at other retailers. This is Blackwell's exclusive presentation: 90 bottles, each finished with a custom-engraved bottle cap bearing the Blackwell's Wines & Spirits logo — a detail that transforms the world's best bourbon into a definitive collector's piece and the most distinctive gifting bourbon available in the Bay Area. When the bottle is empty, Frank August's award-winning decanter design — with its removable back label and architectural minimalist profile — lives on as an elegant keepsake. The engraved Blackwell's cap ensures it is never mistaken for anything else.
Ninety bottles. World's Best Bourbon. Exclusively presented by Blackwell's.
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 that houses it: 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 blending it in Bardstown — the Bourbon Capital of the World — under the close direction of Crocker and his team. Every bottle of Small Batch is assembled from precisely 10 to 15 hand-selected barrels, chosen for their complementary character and structural compatibility before being blended to a unified profile. While the exact age of the Small Batch is undisclosed, federal labeling regulations confirm a minimum of four years of maturation in new charred American white oak — and the depth of character in the glass suggests considerably more development than that legal minimum implies.
The bourbon is bottled at 100 proof — 50% ABV — a deliberate choice that delivers full, expressive flavor without the aggressive heat that can mask subtlety in higher-proof expressions, and non-chill filtered to preserve the natural oils, texture, and aromatic compounds that the carefully selected barrels have developed. Frank August earned not only the World's Best Bourbon trophy at the 2025 IWSC but an additional two Double Gold and three Gold Medals at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition across its broader range — confirming that the Small Batch result was not an anomaly but the expression of a consistently exceptional blending program.
The bottle itself has won multiple design awards and is a recognized object of contemporary craft — architectural, nearly label-free, with a removable back label that allows it to function as a permanent decanter once the bourbon is gone. The Blackwell's exclusive engraved bottle cap adds a final layer of identity to a bottle that was already distinguished: a tangible mark of provenance from one of the Bay Area's most respected independent wine and spirits retailers, on the world's best bourbon.
Critics Reviews
International Wine and Spirit Competition — World's Best Bourbon | Gold Outstanding Medal | 98/100 (2025)
Judges 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 IWSC panel praised the nose for its "delightful mix of apple tart, custard, and intriguing dried apricots," the palate for "a refined medley of buckwheat honey, dried apricots, vanilla, and warm spice," and the finish for leather and oak. 98 points is the competition's highest distinction — the Gold Outstanding Medal.
San Francisco World Spirits Competition — Two Double Gold Medals, Three Gold Medals (2025)
Frank August's broader range earned five awards at the SFWSC in the same year — the most consistent competition performance of any Frank August release to date.
Tasting Profile
Nose Refined, layered, and immediately inviting. Caramel and vanilla lead with classic bourbon warmth, deepening quickly into apple tart, custard, and dried apricots — the precise flavor notes that earned the IWSC judges' highest recognition. Green apple and bright citrus add a fresh, modern lift that keeps the nose from reading as heavy or one-dimensional. Warm cinnamon, mild baking spice, and a thread of sweet pipe tobacco emerge as the glass opens, with toasted oak and a whisper of dried cherry grounding 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, followed by vanilla bean, brown sugar, and caramel apple. Rye spice builds gradually 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 very center. The 100 proof delivers genuine presence without heat — bold, composed, and deeply satisfying.
Finish Silky, spiced, and long. Rye spice and white pepper lead the close before giving way to butterscotch, vanilla bean, nutmeg, raisin, and seasoned oak that linger well past the swallow. The IWSC judges noted leather and oak on the finish — an accurate characterization of the dry, mature wood character that closes the experience with genuine elegance. Clean, refined, and persistent. One of the most accomplished finishes in its price tier.
Quick Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| ABV / Proof | 50% ABV / 100 Proof |
| Origin / Region | Bardstown, Kentucky |
| Producer | Frank August — Johnathan Crocker, Co-Founder & Blender |
| Batch Size | 10–15 hand-selected barrels |
| Chill Filtration | None |
| Aging | New charred American white oak — Kentucky |
| Style / Identity | Modern Kentucky straight bourbon — balanced, fruit-forward, elegant, award-winning |
| Aromas & Flavors | Apple tart, custard, dried apricot, caramel, vanilla, buckwheat honey, baking spice, rye pepper, butterscotch, oak |
| Awards | IWSC World's Best Bourbon 2025 · 98/100 Gold Outstanding · SFWSC 2x Double Gold · 3x Gold 2025 |
| Blackwell's Exclusive | Custom engraved Blackwell's Wines & Spirits bottle cap |
| Availability | 90 bottles — exclusively at Blackwell's |
| Bottle Design | Award-winning minimalist decanter — removable back label |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Serving & Occasion
Best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn or tulip glass, with 10–15 minutes of breathing time to allow the apple tart, custard, and dried apricot notes to fully open. A few drops of water at 100 proof deepens the honey and vanilla mid-palate and softens the rye spice into something particularly refined. A single large ice cube works beautifully for a slower, more exploratory pour. An exceptional gifting bottle for any occasion — the combination of the world's best bourbon designation, the award-winning decanter design, and the Blackwell's engraved cap creates a presentation that requires no further embellishment. Outstanding alongside baked apple desserts, pecan pie, aged cheddar, dark chocolate, and spiced shortbread.
Cocktail Suggestions
Frank August Old Fashioned (the flagship 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, caramel, and rye spice character of the world's best bourbon produces an Old Fashioned of exceptional balance and refinement — the orange peel amplifies the dried apricot and citrus notes already present, and the bitters frame the whole in precisely the way 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 of the IWSC judges' tasting notes locks directly into sweet vermouth's botanical complexity — a Manhattan of genuine elegance and depth that showcases why this bourbon earned its title.
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 that the IWSC judges identified — lemon mirrors the apple tart freshness on the nose — and the egg white version creates a pale, creamy foam that carries the custard and apricot aromatics beautifully.
Kentucky Mule 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · ginger beer · ½ oz fresh lime · expressed lime wheel. Built over ice in a highball or copper mug. The 100-proof rye spice and apple character carry through even in a long drink — the ginger amplifies the warm baking spice notes already present in the bourbon, and the result is a Kentucky Mule of unusual complexity and refinement.
Original: $75.00
-65%$75.00
$26.25Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
In September 2025, a panel of judges at the International Wine and Spirit Competition — which included Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie and Ardbeg — tasted Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon blind, scored it 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 beat the most established names in Kentucky. For a brand founded in 2022, it is one of the most remarkable competitive results in modern bourbon history.
The bottle you are looking at right now is not the standard version available at other retailers. This is Blackwell's exclusive presentation: 90 bottles, each finished with a custom-engraved bottle cap bearing the Blackwell's Wines & Spirits logo — a detail that transforms the world's best bourbon into a definitive collector's piece and the most distinctive gifting bourbon available in the Bay Area. When the bottle is empty, Frank August's award-winning decanter design — with its removable back label and architectural minimalist profile — lives on as an elegant keepsake. The engraved Blackwell's cap ensures it is never mistaken for anything else.
Ninety bottles. World's Best Bourbon. Exclusively presented by Blackwell's.
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 that houses it: 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 blending it in Bardstown — the Bourbon Capital of the World — under the close direction of Crocker and his team. Every bottle of Small Batch is assembled from precisely 10 to 15 hand-selected barrels, chosen for their complementary character and structural compatibility before being blended to a unified profile. While the exact age of the Small Batch is undisclosed, federal labeling regulations confirm a minimum of four years of maturation in new charred American white oak — and the depth of character in the glass suggests considerably more development than that legal minimum implies.
The bourbon is bottled at 100 proof — 50% ABV — a deliberate choice that delivers full, expressive flavor without the aggressive heat that can mask subtlety in higher-proof expressions, and non-chill filtered to preserve the natural oils, texture, and aromatic compounds that the carefully selected barrels have developed. Frank August earned not only the World's Best Bourbon trophy at the 2025 IWSC but an additional two Double Gold and three Gold Medals at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition across its broader range — confirming that the Small Batch result was not an anomaly but the expression of a consistently exceptional blending program.
The bottle itself has won multiple design awards and is a recognized object of contemporary craft — architectural, nearly label-free, with a removable back label that allows it to function as a permanent decanter once the bourbon is gone. The Blackwell's exclusive engraved bottle cap adds a final layer of identity to a bottle that was already distinguished: a tangible mark of provenance from one of the Bay Area's most respected independent wine and spirits retailers, on the world's best bourbon.
Critics Reviews
International Wine and Spirit Competition — World's Best Bourbon | Gold Outstanding Medal | 98/100 (2025)
Judges 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 IWSC panel praised the nose for its "delightful mix of apple tart, custard, and intriguing dried apricots," the palate for "a refined medley of buckwheat honey, dried apricots, vanilla, and warm spice," and the finish for leather and oak. 98 points is the competition's highest distinction — the Gold Outstanding Medal.
San Francisco World Spirits Competition — Two Double Gold Medals, Three Gold Medals (2025)
Frank August's broader range earned five awards at the SFWSC in the same year — the most consistent competition performance of any Frank August release to date.
Tasting Profile
Nose Refined, layered, and immediately inviting. Caramel and vanilla lead with classic bourbon warmth, deepening quickly into apple tart, custard, and dried apricots — the precise flavor notes that earned the IWSC judges' highest recognition. Green apple and bright citrus add a fresh, modern lift that keeps the nose from reading as heavy or one-dimensional. Warm cinnamon, mild baking spice, and a thread of sweet pipe tobacco emerge as the glass opens, with toasted oak and a whisper of dried cherry grounding 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, followed by vanilla bean, brown sugar, and caramel apple. Rye spice builds gradually 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 very center. The 100 proof delivers genuine presence without heat — bold, composed, and deeply satisfying.
Finish Silky, spiced, and long. Rye spice and white pepper lead the close before giving way to butterscotch, vanilla bean, nutmeg, raisin, and seasoned oak that linger well past the swallow. The IWSC judges noted leather and oak on the finish — an accurate characterization of the dry, mature wood character that closes the experience with genuine elegance. Clean, refined, and persistent. One of the most accomplished finishes in its price tier.
Quick Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| ABV / Proof | 50% ABV / 100 Proof |
| Origin / Region | Bardstown, Kentucky |
| Producer | Frank August — Johnathan Crocker, Co-Founder & Blender |
| Batch Size | 10–15 hand-selected barrels |
| Chill Filtration | None |
| Aging | New charred American white oak — Kentucky |
| Style / Identity | Modern Kentucky straight bourbon — balanced, fruit-forward, elegant, award-winning |
| Aromas & Flavors | Apple tart, custard, dried apricot, caramel, vanilla, buckwheat honey, baking spice, rye pepper, butterscotch, oak |
| Awards | IWSC World's Best Bourbon 2025 · 98/100 Gold Outstanding · SFWSC 2x Double Gold · 3x Gold 2025 |
| Blackwell's Exclusive | Custom engraved Blackwell's Wines & Spirits bottle cap |
| Availability | 90 bottles — exclusively at Blackwell's |
| Bottle Design | Award-winning minimalist decanter — removable back label |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Serving & Occasion
Best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn or tulip glass, with 10–15 minutes of breathing time to allow the apple tart, custard, and dried apricot notes to fully open. A few drops of water at 100 proof deepens the honey and vanilla mid-palate and softens the rye spice into something particularly refined. A single large ice cube works beautifully for a slower, more exploratory pour. An exceptional gifting bottle for any occasion — the combination of the world's best bourbon designation, the award-winning decanter design, and the Blackwell's engraved cap creates a presentation that requires no further embellishment. Outstanding alongside baked apple desserts, pecan pie, aged cheddar, dark chocolate, and spiced shortbread.
Cocktail Suggestions
Frank August Old Fashioned (the flagship 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, caramel, and rye spice character of the world's best bourbon produces an Old Fashioned of exceptional balance and refinement — the orange peel amplifies the dried apricot and citrus notes already present, and the bitters frame the whole in precisely the way 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 of the IWSC judges' tasting notes locks directly into sweet vermouth's botanical complexity — a Manhattan of genuine elegance and depth that showcases why this bourbon earned its title.
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 that the IWSC judges identified — lemon mirrors the apple tart freshness on the nose — and the egg white version creates a pale, creamy foam that carries the custard and apricot aromatics beautifully.
Kentucky Mule 2 oz Frank August Small Batch · ginger beer · ½ oz fresh lime · expressed lime wheel. Built over ice in a highball or copper mug. The 100-proof rye spice and apple character carry through even in a long drink — the ginger amplifies the warm baking spice notes already present in the bourbon, and the result is a Kentucky Mule of unusual complexity and refinement.
