Jim Murray has tasted 20,000 whiskies. So he has an opinion (or 20,000 of them) on what makes the spirit sing.

His annual whisky compendium, the aptly-titled Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020, was just announced, along with the major winners. For this year’s edition — the 17th overall — Murray tasted 1252 whiskies from over 30 countries. But America did incredibly well this year (racking up Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in his rankings.)

Below, the winners. Note: You’ll want to stock up on these quickly — these tend to either sell out, are already sold out or only available in extremely limited quantities … and certainly not for the original retail price.

World Whisky of the Year: 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

A 62.5 percent whiskey that also won a World’s Best Bourbon award in 2018 at the World Whiskies Awards.

Second Finest: William Larue Weller 125.7 Proof – 2018 Release

Third Finest: Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye 128.8 Proof – 2018 Release

Single Cask of the Year: Nantou Omar Cask Strength Bourbon Cask #11140804

Interesting note here: That one’s from Taiwan, and it’s state-owned … and not from the country’s best-known distillery, Kavalan.

Scotch Whisky of the Year: Glen Grant Aged 18 Years Rare Edition

Single Malt No Age Statement: Glen Grant Rothes Chronicles Cask Haven

Irish Whiskey of the Year: Redbreast Aged 12 Years Cask Strength

Bourbon (11-15 Years): Pappy Van Winkle 15 Years Old

Canadian Whisky of the Year: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

Japanese Whisky of the Year: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

All credit for this awesome list goes to Inside Hook. https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/booze/the-three-best-whiskies-of-2020-are-american