At the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards, A. Smith Bowman's "Town Branch Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon Whiskey (hereafter Town Branch)" received Best of 2026 on the 24th, the honor given to this year's top whiskey. A total of 13 whiskies received grand prizes that day.
Town Branch is a premium American whiskey with scarcity, distributed only in certain regions in the United States. It is produced at a small distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. It won the grand prize in the American bourbon whiskey institutional sector at this year's awards.
For the grand prize, in the single malt Scotch standard (under 12 years) institutional sector, NARA CELLAR's Nc'nean Organic Single Malt Whisky was selected. In the single malt Scotch premium (12 years and over to under 17 years) institutional sector, three received grand prizes: Diageo Korea's The Singleton Dufftown 15 Years Old, Raon L&B's Fercullen 10, and Pernod Ricard Korea's The Glenlivet 15 Years Old.
In the single malt Scotch super premium (17 years and over) institutional sector, Pernod Ricard Korea's Aberlour 18 Years Double Sherry Cask Finish was selected for the grand prize. In the blended Scotch super premium (17 years and over), two products won the grand prize: Diageo Korea's Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Lotte Chilsung Beverage's Scotch Blue 21.
In the American whiskey (corn whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey) institutional sector, Prudent Manager's Mad Angler Single Barrel Four Grain Whiskey won the grand prize. In Irish single malt whiskey, Haemil Trading's TIPPERARY was selected for the grand prize.
In the world whiskey institutional sector, two products won the grand prize: Hitejinro's Fuji Single Grain and Golden Blue's Nomad Reserve 10. In the low-proof whiskey 40 degrees or below, no-age-statement institutional sector, Golden Blue's Golden Blue Quartz won the grand prize.
The 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's representative liquor evaluation event, now in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering and widely promoting good domestic liquors and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has held it annually since 2014.
This year's event drew 260 companies submitting a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic evaluation events that cover comprehensive liquors. Of these, 449 brands received grand prizes.