Craft distilleries in Colorado will once again compete for top honors at a national whiskey tasting competition sponsored by the Colorado Corn Promotion Council. The 2023 Heartland Whiskey Competition is the fourth competition sponsored by state corn marketing associations. Most distilleries that produce craft products are family-owned and rely on farmers for a reliable supply of corn to make the mash from which spirits are distilled.
This August in St. Louis, the American Craft Spirits Association will conduct the 2023 Heartland Whiskey Competition to judge multiple whiskey categories and award a “best of state” trophy to the top-rated whiskey from each sponsored state. Competition is limited to whiskeys that utilize some corn, which is almost all U.S. craft whiskey.
The 2023 competition will for the first time award a trophy for Top Farmer-Distiller, the top scoring whiskey produced by a distillery whose owner(s) operates a working farm.
In previous competitions, Colorado craft distillers have fared well, earning several medals against a national pool of competitors. The competition will take place Aug. 2 and winners will be announced in September.
