Bardstown Bourbon’s Lochs of Jura Wins IWSC American Whiskey Trophy
Artfully Bourbon / October 5, 2026The finished whiskey takes one of the IWSC’s top 2026 honors, while Willett’s Old Bardstown claims the Bourbon Trophy.
Photo Credit: Artfully BourbonBardstown Bourbon Company’s Lochs of Jura has another accolade to add to the shelf. The whiskey has won the American Whiskey Trophy at the 2026 International Wine & Spirit Competition.
The IWSC announced its 2026 Spirits Trophy winners after members of its Spirits Judging Committee retasted top medal-winning bottles from this year’s competition. Lochs of Jura won the American Whiskey category.
What to know
- Producer: Bardstown Bourbon Company
- Whiskey: Lochs of Jura Barrel Finish
- Age: Blend of 10-, 11- and 12-year-old bourbon and rye whiskeys
- Proof: 104
- Finish: 32 months in Isle of Jura Scotch whisky barrels
- Price: $140
- Release: Limited
- Award: 2026 IWSC American Whiskey Trophy
Lochs of Jura had already made an impression with IWSC judges earlier this year, earning a Gold Outstanding medal during the competition’s North American judging.
It wasn’t the only Bardstown-area whiskey to take home a major trophy. Willett Distillery’s Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond 4 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon won the Bourbon Trophy, giving Bardstown two notable wins across the IWSC’s American whiskey categories.
Why it matters
Awards are awards, but Lochs of Jura is an interesting winner because it isn’t a conventional American whiskey.
Bardstown Bourbon Company took mature bourbon and rye and gave the blend an unusually long 32-month finish in Scotch whisky barrels. That makes its win against a broader field of American whiskey especially noteworthy.
Old Bardstown winning the Bourbon Trophy adds another wrinkle. One trophy went to a $140 limited-finish whiskey. The other went to a four-year bottled-in-bond bourbon at a much more approachable price. Two very different paths to the top of their categories.
The AB take
We’ve actually spent time with Lochs of Jura, and its win doesn’t feel completely out of left field.
This is an unusual whiskey with a noticeable Scotch influence, and it’s probably not going to be for everyone. But that unusual profile is also what made it interesting.
If the award has you curious about the bottle, read our full Lochs of Jura review for our tasting notes, individual scores and whether we think it’s worth the $140 asking price.
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