AUGUSTA, Ky. — The best bourbon in the world can be found along the river in northern Kentucky. Augusta Distillery gets this claim to fame thanks to a win from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, according to employees.

What You Need To Know

  • A San Francisco spirits competition deemed the best bourbon in the world to come from Augusta Distillery

  • The distillery's Buckner's 13 Year Bourbon takes that claim of being the best

  • 65 judges did a blind taste test on the competition's entries to determine what won

  • Augusta Distillery is expanding on production to hopefully produce 14,000 barrels a year

“I had no idea they were going to call Augusta Distillery, but it was awesome when they did,” Billy Bays, who helps with distillery operations and is a barrel experience leader at the distillery, said.

The distillery’s Buckner’s 13 Year Bourbon takes that claim of being the best. Bays said 65 judges did a blind taste test on the competition’s entries to determine what won. In a way, they did the same when picking what to enter in to the competition at Augusta Distillery.

“Picking a bourbon to send into a competition is exactly how much fun you think it is,” he said. “We sat down and did samples and did blind tastings through all of them and just kept narrowing it down and narrowing it down until we got the one we wanted.”

Augusta Distillery President Ryan Edwards said the distillery is just a few years old, but it’s an honor to receive such a win.

 “It was an honor,” Edwards said. “We feel amazing about it and we’re just so lucky.”

Edwards and Bays said they hope to keep entering winning bourbon into competitions such as the San Francisco one. Edwards hopes people come out and try some of the bourbon and learn about the alcohol while at the distillery. He even said renovations are underway to expand on their production capabilities, and the hope is to one day produce 14,000 barrels a year.

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