Best Tennessee Whiskey Named By SF World Spirits Competition

Forbes

17-05-2025

The three finalists for World's Best Tennessee Whiskey at the 2025 SFWSC
Three Tennessee whiskeys are finalists in their category at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The SFWSC is the world's largest and most prestigious judging of American whiskey. Below are brief backgrounds and tasting notes on the finalists. The Top Shelf 2025 Awards Gala, a highly anticipated whiskey industry event, will announce the winner on November 9 at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
Roaming Man is a premium, small-batch, no-age-statement whiskey produced by Sugarlands Distilling Company in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It follows the traditional Lincoln County Process of filtering the whiskey through maple wood charcoal. Unlike mass-market Tennessee whiskey, Roaming Man is bottled as a cask-strength, limited-edition release, typically between 110 and 120 proof, offering a unique and intriguing twist on the classic Tennessee whiskey.
Pronounced aromas of charred oak, caramelized banana, vanilla bean, and fresh-baked cornbread are featured on the nose. It's robust and creamy on the palate, showcasing intense molasses, honeycomb, toasted almonds, toffee, and cold smoke flavors, underscored by a subtle peppery spice. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering oak, dark caramel, vanilla, and smoky notes. Roaming Man is a powerful, full-bodied Tennessee whiskey, offering a more concentrated and flavorful expression of the style.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as expressing 'aromas of vanilla and tobacco leaves, along with maple candy and corn pudding. The palate features similar flavors and red Thai chili, kumquat, and molasses notes. The finish is long, slightly sweet, with lingering pepper and oak wood notes.'
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey pays tribute to Nathan "Nearest" Green, the formerly enslaved master distiller who taught Jack Daniel the art of whiskey-making. This whiskey, sourced, blended, and bottled in Tennessee, with a future goal of transitioning entirely to estate-distilled whiskey, is a testament to Tennessee's rich whiskey heritage. The source of the whiskey has not been disclosed, but it has long been rumored to be George Dickel.
1856 is a premium offering, bottled at 100 proof and typically aged around 8 years. It's rich and aromatic on the nose, featuring ripe apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon notes surrounded by the cold charcoal smoke of the Lincoln County Process.
1856 is smooth and flavorful on the palate, showcasing caramel cream, toasted oak, nutmeg, and baked apricot flavors, around a well-integrated, structured oak backbone. The finish is long, slightly smoky, sweet, and spicy, with lingering vanilla bean, clove, and brown butter notes. Uncle Nearest 1856 is an elegant, meditative whiskey, honoring Tennessee heritage, offering a smooth, flavorful dram.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as featuring 'peppery aromas with caramel and vanilla notes, some anise/licorice, and maple candy. It's robust on the palate, with caramel, toasted oak, candied citrus, and rawhide leather notes. The finish is long and sweet with lingering spice, vanilla, and oak wood notes.'
A glass of Tennessee whiskey on ice
Old Dominick Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, produced at the Old Dominick Distillery in Memphis, Tennessee, is a historic brand reborn in 2017 after nearly a century's dormancy. The whiskey, part of the distillery's Bottled-in-Bond series, meets the bottled-in-bond standards: distilled at a single distillery, in a single season, aged at least four years, and bottled at precisely 100 proof. Old Dominick uses a high-rye mash bill and the traditional Tennessee charcoal filtration process, ensuring a robust and flavorful whiskey.
The nose opens with aromas of rye toast, caramel, cinnamon, clove, charred oak, and a hint of baked pear. The palate presents nuanced layers of caramelized sugar, spiced baked pear, cracked black pepper, roasted nuts, and rye spices. The rye spice notes complement the Tennessee whiskey sweetness, creating a sweet and spicy character. The finish is medium-long and sweet, with lingering notes of oak, vanilla, and a subtle herbal note. Old Dominick Bonded is a robust, flavorful Tennessee whiskey, balancing sweetness and spice.
The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as featuring 'aromas of milk chocolate, rye bread toast, cinnamon, and caramel. The palate is sweet and spicy, with baked apple and pear, roasted nuts, cinnamon, clove, and a hint of nutmeg. The finish is long, sweet, and spicy with lingering notes of vanilla and caramel.'
These three Tennessee whiskeys from the 2025 SFWSC are all over proof, presenting a more intensely flavored, concentrated version of the typical Tennessee whiskey profile. The results are exceptionally intense, smooth, flavorful, easy-drinking whiskeys, expanding Tennessee whiskey's aroma and flavor profile. These expressions are outstanding and well worth trying if you are a fan of Tennessee whiskey.