The top whiskies from the SIP Awards with a surpising best of class winner

Sunday, 03 August 2025 at 07:01SIP Awards

Every year, the SIP Awards take place in the United States, where thousands of beverages are blind-tasted and the best are awarded medals. This year’s results revealed an exciting standout: India’s Paul John whisky has firmly placed itself on the global map.

What are the SIP Awards?
An international beverage competition that includes whisky among other spirits.

How many brands and whiskies participated?
More than 1300 beverages were rated during the show.

What was the absolute top whisky of 2025?
Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky was named the top whisky of the year.

In California, the SIP Awards celebrated their 17th edition. The competition featured all kinds of drinks from around the world, not just whisky, bourbon or rye, but also gin, vodka and rum.

This year saw over 1,300 entries from 47 countries, tasted blind by a panel of 297 jurors. All samples were evaluated in NEAT glasses, ensuring a fair and consistent tasting process.

Medals were awarded in silver, gold, and platinum categories, with only the absolute best earning a Best of Class platinum medal.

What are the best whiskys of 2025 according to the SIP Awards?

Below is a selection of the best whiskys of the SIP Awards 2025:

Whisk(e)y	Country
Crown Royal Single Malt	Canada
Four Roses Straight Bourbon	United States
15 Stars Founder's Reserve	United States
Ezra Brooks 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon	United States
Finvara	Ireland
Godawan Single Malt Rich and Rounded Artisan whiskey	India
Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky Classic Select Cask	India
Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey	United States
Templeton Straight Rye Whiskey	United States
Heaven Hill Black Velvet Reserve	United States

Indian whisky brand loaded with prizes

The prizes above are for the absolute top performers tasted during the competition, but John Distilleries, the distillery behind the Indian Paul John whisky, has another reason to go home with a smile. The distillery has in fact won four major awards.

Not only did the Paul John Single Malt Whisky Classic Select Cask win a platinum medal, this was also a Best of Class Premium medal. In other words, this whisky has been awarded the title of best whisky of the competition.

In addition, the Paul John PX whisky has been rewarded with an Innovation of the Year Award and a gold medal. The latter medal also went to the Peated Select Cask whisky of the brand.

Many more whiskys and other drinks won prizes during the SIP Awards 2025. For a complete overview you can visit the competition's website.