Chris Voss-Backed Business Bourbon™ Wins Double Gold at 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The sharp rise of premium and super-premium bourbon is reshaping the spirits sector, with corporate buyers and professional connectors looking to distinctive bottles as high-impact assets for business gifting and strategic relationship-building. As the global bourbon market climbs towards $8.85 billion in 2025 at a 6.7% CAGR, brands are responding with products tailor-made for high-level moments, signalling a shift from mass-consumer appeal to targeted, results-driven exchanges built around craftsmanship and exclusivity.

In parallel, the luxury whiskey market’s expansion highlights a growing preference for authentic, story-rich brands over celebrity-led or generic releases. High-end gift-givers now demand products that not only signify taste but act as catalysts for high-value deals, reinforcing the importance of memorable, purposeful exchanges in professional environments.

Business Bourbon™: A Strategic Catalyst, Not Just a Collectible

At the centre of this movement sits The Difference® Business Bourbon™, whose debut release, The Foundation, claimed a Double Gold Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In an environment where super-premium bourbon categories showed 18% growth in 2024, this award is more than symbolic. It reflects a deliberate response to a tightening focus on outcomes, where gifting a rare, critically recognised spirit serves as a high-return investment in relationships and brand equity (Bourbon Spirits Market Scope Analysis).

Co-founder Chris Voss’s insight illustrates this philosophy: ‘Gifting a bottle of rare, award-winning bourbon is more than a gesture – it’s a memorable experience that opens doors and moves relationships forward.’ The Difference® Business Bourbon™ team designed The Foundation exclusively for The ShareHolders Society™, a private community of entrepreneurs, founders and investors, leveraging scarcity and invitation-only access to maximise perceived and real value at the negotiating table.

Why Exclusivity Is Driving Performance

This results-oriented strategy stands apart from traditional celebrity projects and general premiumisation tactics. Brands such as Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace have demonstrated the power of exclusivity, with limited releases generating outsized demand and compelling buyers to act quickly (US Whiskey Market Research 2025). The ShareHolders Society™ approach amplifies this trend, targeting not collectors but professional ‘connectors’ who use elite spirits as strategic tools in boardrooms and closing dinners.

Premium gifting with alcohol now accounts for a critical share of the luxury and super-premium segment, with corporate and personal gifting forming an area of genuine strategic importance, according to recent industry research (Alcoholic Beverage Market Research – SIS International). These gifts are no longer mere tokens – in an era when authentic connection and trust drive business performance, their role as instruments of influence and relationship acceleration is increasingly pronounced.

Industry Data Underscores Shift to Purpose-Driven Gifting

The bourbon sector’s growth is accompanied by global demand for transparency, provenance and experience, as evidenced by the rush of new entrants focused on local terroir, small-batch production and storytelling. Top-tier distilleries are introducing exclusive batches, often aligning new releases to moments designed to foster professional connections and shared successes (American Whiskey Report January 2025).

Industry forecasts confirm this is not a short-term trend. The premium alcoholic beverage market, now valued at $0.77 trillion in 2024, is on track to double by 2031, with gifting cited as one of the primary drivers (Premium Alcoholic Beverage Market Size, Share & Forecast). This creates an environment where brands offering exclusive, award-winning releases positioned for strategic use in business contexts have a real competitive advantage.

Connection and Craft

Looking ahead, the strategies that win will be those prioritising long-term relationship building, authentic narratives and proven excellence. As Roy Milner, co-founder and Master Blender, stated, ‘Receiving Double Gold at SFWSC tells us that the dream is real – and we’re just getting started.’ The Difference® Business Bourbon™’s commitment to building on The Foundation’s standard with every subsequent release sets a template for companies seeking to move beyond product sales to create platforms for opportunity and shared success.

The market signals are clear: authentic, high-quality business bourbon, when used as a strategic asset rather than a commodity, delivers not only performance gains in negotiations but long-lasting value in personal and professional spheres. The business of gifting is no longer just about status or taste – it is about forging connections that can change the trajectory of companies and careers.