291 Colorado Bourbon Whiskey brought home a Double Gold Medal from the 8th Annual New York World Wine & Spirits Competition (NYWSC). More than 340 spirits were judged this year—shattering all previous records. A Double Gold award means all judges rated the spirit as a Gold. The award comes just in time for the 7th Anniversary of Distillery 291 and on the heels of winning another Gold from The Spirits Business competition.

“Moving from New York after 9/11, I wanted to make the anniversary a more positive occasion and distilled our first whiskey on September 11, 2011. I designed our 291 Colorado Bourbon recipe to use local ingredients such as toasted aspen staves and I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out,” says founding distiller, Michael Myers.

In the Competition’s eight-year history, the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition (NYWSC) has established itself as one of the most respected judging events in the eastern U.S.A. Judges are predominantly from the New York area and are among the spirits industry’s most trusted authorities, not only on the subject of quality spirits, but also on the regional tastes and trends that drive the spirits markets.

“September is National Bourbon Heritage month, so it’s very timely to bring home this flattering award right now. In 1964, Bourbon Whiskey was declared ‘America’s Native Spirit’ by congress and we are honored to distill in our country’s legacy,” says Myers.

291 Colorado Bourbon Whiskey, at 100 proof, is a one year, barrel-aged whiskey distilled in a copper pot still. It is then finished with charred, Colorado aspen staves. Its mash bill is 80 percent corn, 19 percent malted rye and 1 percent malted barley.