Never Say Die Named ‘Best New Rye of 2025’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Top Shelf Awards

Independent whiskey brand, Never Say Die has taken home one of the top honours at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) Top Shelf Awards – which is known as the Oscars of spirit competitions – after its Rye Whiskey was crowned ‘Best New Rye of 2025’.

The win is a major milestone for the transatlantic whiskey, which is distilled and aged in Kentucky before completing its maturation in England. The ocean voyage acts like a natural agitator, enhancing contact between spirit and oak, while England’s cooler climate allows for slower, more complex ageing.

The SFWSC judges described it as a “an elegant rye that opens with inviting aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, oak, and fresh mint, unfolding on the palate with a creamy texture layered with warm baking spices, bright orange peel, succulent cherry, and rich chocolate, finishing long and memorable with a harmonious balance of sweet honey and gentle spice”.

The unique ageing journey is inspired by the legendary racehorse Never Say Die, who crossed the Atlantic to defy the odds and win the Epsom Derby in 1954 which ultimately played a role in formation of The Beatles.

Made with a proprietary sweet mash and a high-corn recipe –  what the team calls a “Kentucky Rye” – Never Say Die Rye delivers a uniquely smooth and rounded profile that’s found a following among bartenders and whiskey fans alike.

Brian Luftman, co-founder of Never Say Die, said: “We set out to do something genuinely different in taking American whiskey on a journey to see how the ocean and England’s climate could shape its character. To see that innovation and our sweet mash whiskies recognized on a global stage is incredible. The high corn content in the mash bill gives our rye a rounder, slightly sweeter profile, which has made it a real favorite with bartenders and also a great entry point for bourbon drinkers or anyone new to rye.”

Never Say Die Rye Whiskey (RRP £64.95/$84.95) is available from The Whiskey Exchange and Seelbach’s

About Never Say Die

Never Say Die has truly blazed a trail and is the first time that a US Bourbon distilled in Kentucky has been ocean-aged on a six-week trip across the Atlantic, then finally matured in barrels in the Derbyshire peaks to give it a distinct British finish.

The idea for Never Say Die was born at the Kentucky Derby when old friends David Wild and Pat Madden were talking about racing, and Pat told the story of Never Say Die, the horse that was born at Hamburg Place, his family’s farm. After a few mint juleps, they decided to build a team and create a premium bourbon that would travel as a world’s first, in barrels, to the UK to be further matured and bottled, following in the hoofsteps of its namesake, Never Say Die – the first American racehorse to win an English derby in 70 years. In 2017, Pat and David founded Never Say Die Bourbon alongside Brian Luftman, Shane Baker, Pat Heist, Martha Dalton, and Fran O’Leary.

Fast-forward five years, and the first batch of Never Say Die Bourbon made its maiden voyage from Kentucky to Derbyshire’s White Peak Distillery, landing on English shores in July 2022. Never Say Die is produced using proprietary mash bills and yeast strains at a partner distillery 30 miles south of Lexington. It is made using only the finest ingredients, with a custom mash bill designed to highlight the essence of the small grains with consistency, using local seed-grade grains. It is cut with mineral-rich, Mesozoic Era limestone-filtered water sourced from the deepest aquifer in Kentucky and then added to virgin air-dried #4 char American Oak barrels and matured for up to seven years in Kentucky before embarking on the final leg of its journey across the ocean to the White Peaks Distillery in Derbyshire to finish.