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Heartland Whiskey Competition
  • Home
  • Rules & Judging
  • Corn States Support
  • Top Farmer-Distiller
  • awards
  • Competition Archive

2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition

2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition 2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition 2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition
Register To Enter Here

This competition was created to help bring attention to the many and diverse uses of corn, and to lend a hand to an industry predominantly consisting of family-owned businesses: craft spirits. The most ubiquitous product in craft spirits is bourbon which by law must be made from 50 percent or more corn.


The 2025 competition year is the fifth biennial Heartland Whisky Competition which helps craft distilleries promote their products by virtue of the medals and trophies they receive. No other competition provides the unique opportunity to compete for “best of state” and other corn-based awards. Corn state sponsorship goes towards offsetting some of the judging, awards (trophies, medals, etc.) and marketing costs. 


In 2025, the Top Farmer-Distiller program will expand to three awards, including one for the top scoring farmer-distilled bourbon and another for the top scoring farmer-distilled whiskey in all other non-bourbon categories.

2025 Best-of-State trophies will be awarded to these sponsored states:

California

Colorado

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Maryland

Michigan

Missouri

Nebraska

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Texas

Washington

Wisconsin


All judging is conducted under the oversight of the American Craft Spirits Association.

OFFICIAL AG MEDIA SPONSOR: MORNING AG CLIPS

We are very pleased that Morning Ag Clips has signed on as the official agricultural media sponsor of this year's competition. 


MAC is owned and run by a farmer whose media enterprise has been a welcome addition to the ag news landscape.

Take a Look for Yourself!

Competition Grown in the Heartland

The American Craft Spirits Association sanctions and supervises the judging of the Heartland Whiskey Competition. The competition is held on a biennial basis for craft whiskey made with some amount of corn as an ingredient. Competition in several whiskey categories is open to craft distillers from all 50 states and U.S. territories.

Eligibility for “Best of State”, “Best of Show” and multiple Farmer-Distiller awards are determined by corn association sponsorship.


ACSA delineates entry criteria consistent with its stewardship of this and other spirits competitions. Judges are chosen from professionals in the food and beverage industry and all judging is done on a blind basis. All distillers receive detailed tasting notes from the competition for all spirits entered.

Farmer-Distiller Program Expands To Three Awards

The 2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition will give three awards under the Farmer-Distiller banner. Farmer-Distillers are distilleries whose owner(s) also operate a working farm that grows some corn. In addition to Top Farmer-Distiller, the new awards are Farmer-Distiller: Best Bourbon; and, Farmer-Distiller Best Non-Bourbon Whiskey.


See the Farmer-Distiller page for more on these three awards.

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