Gig Harbor distillery receives coveted World Whiskey Awards honor
Apr 2, 2025, 11:10 AM
A man travels with a tray of scotch whiskey. (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
(Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
A Washington Whiskey brand has been named “World’s Best Flavored Whiskey” at The World Whiskey Awards.
According to a press release by Heritage Distilling Co., the Gig Harbor spirits company won Whisky Magazine‘s coveted prize for their Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey.
Heritage has previously won the award twice for their Brown Sugar Bourbon.
“We are incredibly proud to have earned this prestigious global honor for the third time from the tasting panel at Whisky Magazine,” said Justin Stiefel, CEO and co-founder of Heritage. “Every whiskey we create captures the essence of true, authentic flavors, and this latest global award is proof of our efforts. To win this global category award for a third time is unprecedented in the global spirits industry, further solidifying our leading position in the rapidly growing flavored whiskey market.”
‘Whiskey for chocolate lovers and chocolate for whiskey lovers’
Heritage was founded by military veterans Drew and Sara Kellerman in 2011, alongside their business partners Justin and Jennifer Stiefel. According to their website, the two married couples were inspired to start the brand on “a perfect Pacific Northwest evening,” aiming to make “a whiskey better than the one they were drinking.”
Today, Heritage is recognized as “the largest independently owned craft distillery in Washington,” with four tasting rooms across the state and one in Oregon.
The Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey is said to include notes of semi-sweet dark cocoa and cocoa nibs.
In an interview with the News Tribune, Jennifer Stiefel described the whiskey as “approachable,” with Justin adding, it is “whiskey for chocolate lovers and chocolate for whiskey lovers.”
