The IWSC Loved This $20 Bourbon… Our Blind Taste Test Didn’t.
The IWSC Loved This $20 Bourbon
The IWSC Loved This $20 Bourbon… Our Blind Taste Test Didn’t.
Every year, thousands of bourbons, whiskeys, and spirits are entered into competitions around the world, all hoping to earn the medals and accolades that can send bottles flying off liquor store shelves. One of the most respected is the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC), where experienced judges evaluate spirits through blind tastings and award medals based solely on what’s in the glass.
This year, one bourbon surprised nearly everyone.
Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond earned a remarkable 98-point Gold Outstanding rating and emerged as the highest-scoring straight bourbon during the IWSC’s 2026 Kentucky judging. For a bottle that retails for around $20, that’s an incredible achievement and one that immediately caught our attention.
Naturally, we bought a bottle.
Then we tasted it.
Our first impression? Let’s just say we were… confused.
Rather than immediately writing the bourbon off or questioning the judges, we decided to do what we believe is the fairest test possible: remove the labels and let the whiskey speak for itself.
Blind Tasting Beats Preconceived Opinions
At Tortured Bourbon, we love blind tastings because they strip away everything that influences our expectations.
Price disappears.
Awards disappear.
Brand loyalty disappears.
What’s left is the bourbon itself.
To keep the comparison fair, we selected two other readily available bourbons sitting in the exact same price range:
Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
Fighting Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon
All three bottles can generally be found for around twenty dollars, making this one of the most affordable blind tastings we’ve ever filmed.
Our question was simple.
If Old Bardstown was good enough to earn one of the highest honors in bourbon, could it beat two other budget favorites in a completely blind taste test?
What Does “Bottled in Bond” Actually Mean?
Two of the three bottles in this tasting proudly wear the words Bottled in Bond, a designation that dates back to the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.
To qualify, a bourbon must:
Be produced by one distiller at one distillery.
Be distilled during a single distilling season.
Be aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse.
Be bottled at exactly 100 proof.
For bourbon enthusiasts, Bottled in Bond often represents exceptional value because it guarantees a consistent production standard while remaining affordable.
That’s one reason why this lineup made so much sense.
Each bottle carries a strong reputation among budget bourbon drinkers, but only one entered this tasting wearing a shiny new international medal.
Awards Don’t Always Match Your Palate
One of the fascinating things about whiskey competitions is that they’re designed to evaluate quality, balance, and craftsmanship—not necessarily personal preference.
A bourbon can be technically outstanding while still not matching an individual’s palate.
Likewise, a bottle that receives little fanfare can become someone’s everyday favorite.
That’s why blind tastings remain one of the most valuable tools for whiskey enthusiasts. Once the labels disappear, so do expectations.
Sometimes the expensive bottle wins.
Sometimes the award winner wins.
Sometimes neither does.
Did the IWSC Get It Right?
We’re not here to claim the IWSC judges don’t know bourbon.
Far from it.
The judges are experienced professionals with refined palates and extensive tasting experience. But one of the great things about bourbon is that taste is ultimately personal.
This episode isn’t about proving anyone wrong.
It’s about asking an honest question:
Would the IWSC’s highest-scoring straight bourbon still come out on top when three similarly priced bourbons are poured into identical glasses?
The answer surprised us.
It may surprise you, too.
After you’ve watched, let us know in the comments:
Did the judges get it right, or would your rankings have been different?
As always…
We suffer through bourbon… so you don’t have to. 🥃
