Illinois Craft Distilleries Will Compete for the Title of Best State Whiskey at Heartland Whiskey Competition

April 30, 2021
The logo for the 2021 heartland whiskey competition.

- IL Corn sponsors competition that will include multiple corn whiskey categories along with Illinois Best;

- American Craft Spirits Association to oversee blind judging and determine state winners, category winners and best of show.

IL Corn announced that the next Heartland Whiskey Competition will take place July 22-23 in Louisville, Kentucky and craft distillers from Illinois are invited to compete. This is the third successive Heartland Whiskey Competition that state corn marketing associations throughout America’s Heartland have come together to sponsor. The biennial contest is sanctioned by the American Craft Spirits Association and strictly limited to craft whiskeys that contain some amount of corn as an ingredient. Any craft distiller in the U.S. is eligible to enter product for judging in several categories. The most coveted awards are “best of state” which are limited to only those 16 states sponsored by their respective corn associations and “best of show”, also limited to sponsor states.

“We are thrilled to once again work with the state corn associations and support a competition that highlights small distilleries in their individual states which this covers approximately 40 percent of all U.S. craft distilleries,” said Margie Lehrman, executive director of ACSA. “Ours is a rapidly growing industry that requires continual support which corn growers have so graciously provided these last several years. This competition provides craft distilleries – many of which are independent, family-run businesses – a unique opportunity for visibility among consumers and distributors.”

 

Spirits competitions carry significant weight in the spirits industry, as award medals are often the reason a consumer purchases a product at retail. Illinois distillers have performed well in previous Heartland Whiskey competitions, earning several coveted medals. Most craft distilleries use corn mash sourced locally to make their product.

 

ACSA will select judges from accomplished mixologists who have experience with craft spirits. The actual judging will occur July 22 and 23 and winners will be announced in early August.

By Sand County Foundation August 28, 2025
Illinois Farmer Awarded Leopold Conservation Award
streambank erosion
By Tara Desmond August 28, 2025
Streambank Erosion: An Overlooked Threat to Illinois Farmland
By Tara Desmond August 28, 2025
What Experienced Farmers Wish They Knew Starting Out
Kacie and Captain us
By Jennie Abbott August 21, 2025
Farm Bureau Manager Kacie Claire shares about her past internship at IL Corn
whiskey
By American Craft Spirits Association August 21, 2025
The Farmer-Distiller: Best Bourbon resulted in a numerical tie, with two distilleries sharing the honor. Queens Reserve, a product of Wood Hat Spirits in Florence, Missouri scored identically to Bloody Butcher Bourbon, which is produced by Pathfinder Farm Distillery in Boonsboro, Maryland.
Green corn stalks in a field, blue sky with white clouds.
By Lyndi Allen August 21, 2025
The time for change is now, action is needed from Congress and the administration after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest World Agriculture and Supply and Demand Estimates report
Show More