The finalists for the Best in Class Wheated Bourbon category at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerThe San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has announced its 2026 Best of Class bourbon finalists, spotlighting the bourbons now contending for the top whiskey honors of the year.Founded in 2000, the SFWSC puts thousands of spirits through blind tastings led by some of the industry's most respected palates. The Best of Class finalists represent the top performers in each bourbon category, and they'll advance to the competition's Top Shelf Awards Gala on November 8. There, each category will name a Best in Class winner before one bourbon is named Best Overall Bourbon. That bottle then moves on to compete for one of the night's highest honors: Best Overall Whisky.This year's field offers a snapshot of where bourbon stands in 2026. Kentucky remains the category's center of gravity, accounting for most of the finalists. But standout bottles from Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, Maryland, Wisconsin, and North Carolina earned their way into the final round, too. The list mixes heritage brands, rising craft producers, celebrity-backed labels, and experimental expressions that would have seemed almost unthinkable a few decades ago.One producer worth watching is Heaven Hill. Fresh off being named the Most Awarded U.S. Distillery at the 2025 SFWSC, the Kentucky giant landed three finalists across multiple categories, including Elijah Craig 15-Year Single Barrel and two separate wheated bourbons. Whether that momentum carries into November is one of this year's biggest storylines.The Best Straight Bourbons Of 2026The straight bourbon finalists pair some of the category's most recognizable names with a few genuine surprises.Brother's Bond Cask Strength Straight Bourbon (99 Points)Celebrity-backed whiskey brands often struggle to earn credibility among enthusiasts, but Brother's Bond has steadily built a reputation for quality. Its cask strength expression showed notes of fig cake and dark muscovado sugar, resulting in a sweet, dessert-like profile that impressed judges.The Maven Kentucky Straight Bourbon (99 Points)One of the highest-scoring bourbons in the competition, The Maven delivered a classic Kentucky profile with notable complexity. Judges found layers of brown sugar, toasted oak, ginger, baking spices, caramel, and burnt sugar, with a long, smooth finish.Square 6 High Rye Bourbon (99 Points)Produced by the historic James E. Pepper Distillery, Square 6 stood out for its distinctive character. Judges found proofing dough, Darjeeling tea, kitchen spice, and caraway leading into a long, fruity finish—perhaps the most unusual set of tasting notes among this year's finalists.Willett Bottle Still Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon (99 Points)Willett is a name with significant influence among enthusiasts. Its Bottle Still Reserve showed the balance judges prize in classic bourbon with a blend of caramel, toffee, cocoa, baked apple, and spiced orange flavors that earned praise for richness and approachability.Pinhook 10-Year Vertical Series Bourbon (99 Points)Pinhook's ambitious Vertical Series follows the same group of barrels as they age, letting drinkers taste the effect of time on the whiskey. The 10-year expression impressed judges with baked cherry, dark chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper flavors.Small Batch Bourbons Continue To ShineSmall Batch bourbon remains one of the category's most competitive segments, and this year's finalists showcased the range of styles now on shelves.The Best in Class finalists in the Small Batch Bourbon up to Five Years Old catagory at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerUp To Five Years OldWheel Horse Barrel Master Select Batch #2 Bourbon (97 Points)Chattanooga Whiskey Cask 111 Batch 26B16R Bourbon (97 Points)Bronze Bull Batch #7 Bourbon Finished in Armagnac and Orange Liqueur Barrels (97 Points)Chattanooga stood out for its unusual mix of lavender cream, vanilla, cream soda, and sweet corn flavors. Bronze Bull's Armagnac and orange liqueur cask finish brought white grape, citrus, brown sugar, mulled wine, and spiced cake, while Wheel Horse rounded out the group with dark chocolate, citrus, caramel, and peppery spice.The Best in Class finalists in the Small Batch Bourbon Six to Ten Years Old catagory at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerSix To Ten Years OldTime Sipping Away Small Batch Straight Bourbon (98 Points)Peg Leg Porker Grey Label Tennessee Straight Bourbon (98 Points)Silverthorn Reserve The Bourbon Blend (98 Points)Dancing Goat Distillery Stillman's Sonder Bourbon (98 Points)This category produced some of the competition's most compelling notes. Time Sipping Away presented pipe tobacco, dried figs, sweet hickory, and caramelized sugar. Peg Leg Porker evoked Cracker Jack, cornbread, cherry cola, and chocolate. Silverthorn Reserve revealed cinnamon candy, ginger, s'mores, brown sugar, fruitcake, leather, and sweet tobacco. Dancing Goat added fruitcake, banana nut bread, orange marmalade, and baking spice to one of the deepest fields in the contest.The Best Single Barrel Bourbons Of 2026Single barrel bourbon remains one of the purest ways to experience the impact of individual maturation, and these finalists were among the category's strongest.The Best in Class finalists in the Single Batch Bourbon Up to Ten Years Old category at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerUp To 10 Years OldConviction Founder's Reserve Small Batch Bourbon (98 Points)Baker's 7 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (98 Points)Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10-Year Bourbon (98 Points)Nashtucky Single 8 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon (98 Points)Baker's was noted for its creamy corn, leather, tobacco, and brown sugar tastes. Henry McKenna showed hints of candied nuts, cornbread, honey-roasted peanuts, and candied lemon peel. Conviction showed flavors of cherries, brown sugar, and baking spice, and Nashtucky displayed dark stone fruit, black cherry, butterscotch, chocolate, and a hint of smoke.11 Years And OlderMugen Spirit Nobunaga Single Barrel Bourbon (99 Points)One of the most intriguing finalists in the competition, Nobunaga drew praise for what judges called a beautiful marriage of bourbon richness and the elegance often tied to Japanese whisky. The panel singled out its integration and balance despite its ABV exceeding 60%.Elijah Craig 15-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon (99 Points)Elijah Craig is one of Heaven Hill's most decorated brands, and its 15-Year Single Barrel looks poised for another major run. Judges praised fruitcake, pie dough, pu-erh tea, vanilla, and allspice, with a standout use of proof.The Best in Class finalists in the Special Barrel-Finished Bourbon category at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerThe Best Barrel-Finished Bourbons Of 2026Once a niche experiment, barrel finishing has become one of bourbon’s most dynamic arenas, giving producers room to innovate while still honoring tradition. This year’s finalists illustrate just how broad—and creative—the style has become.Wenzel Distillery Double Oak Bourbon (99 Points)Wenzel's Double Oak Bourbon impressed judges with a bold, jammy profile layered with leather, toffee, and vanilla.Wenzel Distillery Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon (99 Points)Wenzel landed a second finalist with its Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon, which judges described as fruity, raisiny, chewy, nutty, and evocative of Oloroso sherry.Starlight Distillery Mizunara Reserve Bourbon (99 Points)Starlight enters this year's finalist round with serious momentum. Its Mizunara Reserve Bourbon was named Best Overall Bourbon at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and this year's entry again impressed judges with incense-like aromatics, leather, vanilla, creamy caramel, balanced spice, and a long, warming finish.Polly's Still House Double Barrel Bourbon (99 Points)Polly's Still House delivered one of the most playful tasting profiles among the finalists, with judges finding banana candy, Honey Nut Cheerios, candied orange peel, fruitcake, toasted oak, marshmallow, ginger, tea, crème brûlée, figs, and baking spice.Maker's Mark 46 Kentucky Straight Bourbon (99 Points)Maker's Mark 46 remains one of the category's most recognizable finished bourbons, and it showed strongly here. Judges highlighted toasted coconut, anise, delicate florals, honeyed brioche, caramel, licorice, and lingering spice.The Best in Class finalists in the Wheated Bourbon Bourbon category at the 2026 SFWSC.Katelyn TuckerThe Best Wheated Bourbons Of 2026Wheated bourbon is one of the fastest-growing segments in American whiskey, and the finalists captured its broad appeal.Safai Bourbon Honey Roasted Malt Bourbon (99 Points)Notes of brown sugar, caramel, black walnut, and coffee infused Safai’s pour, earning one of the competition’s highest scores.Preemption Texas Wheated Bourbon Bottled In Bond (99 Points)Texas continues to establish itself as a serious whiskey state, and this expression only further cemented their rising status. It featured chocolate, banana, molasses, and vanilla, creating a rich profile that impressed judges.Heaven Hill Traditional Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon (99 Points)Sweet mint, roasted fruit, honey, coconut oil, and honey-roasted peanut notes carried this expression into the final round.Heaven Hill Specialty Barrel Series Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon (99 Points)One of the most praised wheated bourbons in the field, it won over judges with brandied cherries, kitchen spice, leather, chamomile tea, candied pecans, and remarkable integration across the palate.Fathertime Bourbon - Best New BourbonFathertime BourbonBest New Bourbon FinalistFathertime Bourbon The Caboose Small Batch: Empty Nester Strength (97 Points)Fathertime’s Caboose Small Batch competed alongside established names with notes of matcha tea, ginger, graham crackers, dried figs, fruitcake, caramel, baked apple, peppermint, and baking spice, as observed by judges.Its place among the finalists is a clear sign that innovation and new brands continue to find room in an increasingly crowded bourbon landscape.Follow here for the most up to date information about the ever-changing beer, wine and spirits industry.MORE FROM FORBESForbesWhy America’s Non-Alcoholic Beer Movement Is Just Getting StartedBy Hudson LindenbergerForbesThe World’s Best Rums According To The 2026 International Wine & Spirit CompetitionBy Hudson LindenbergerForbesMezcal Sweeps The Top Honors At The 2026 IWSCBy Hudson Lindenberger