This Cheddar Cheese Was Named the Best in the World — and You Can Buy It at U.S. Grocery Stores

The World Cheese Awards have declared one cheddar to rule them all.

Searching for the best cheddar cheese in the world? You can find it in Oregon, according to the World Cheese Awards held in Viseu, Portugal, earlier this month.

The annual awards — hosted in a different country each year — named the Tillamook County Creamery Association the maker of the “Best Cheddar in the World” for the 115-year-old farmer-owned co-op’s Maker’s Reserve 2014 Extra Sharp White Cheddar — and we’ve got the inside scoop on what makes this cheese so special.

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Tillamook takes the time to age cheeses properly

A decade of aging produced the cheese’s extra sharp, complex flavor with notes of brown butter and caramel, prompting 244 international judges to hand the award to Tillamook. This cheese is part of the brand’s Makers Reserve Program, which focuses on aging cheddars and releases a ten-year vintage each year, alongside three consecutive vintages that have been aged for at least three years each.

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“We are so proud of our Tillamook Maker’s Reserve program and are honored that our 2014 Maker’s Reserve Extra Sharp White Cheddar took home the award for best cheddar in the world,” Jill Allen, Tillamook’s director of product excellence, tells Food & Wine. Allen also adds that the creamery association — owned by a large group of farmers on the Oregon coast — invests time in carefully crafting and naturally aging cheeses to give them “unforgettable flavor and quality.”

Following the natural aging process, Allen and her team of tasting experts grade each batch of cheese to determine the select few that will make the cut for the exclusive vintage program. Products from Tillamook’s Maker’s Reserve program, including the Best Cheddar in the World, are available online for direct purchase from Tillamook and at select grocery retailers across the country.

“Our Maker’s Reserve Cheddars are truly special and reflect the all-important factor of time,” Allen says. “Our aging process transforms the cheese into an unforgettable tasting experience.”

Along with Tillamook’s prize for the best cheddar, the dairy cooperative also nabbed a pair of bronze-level awards for its Farmers’ Collection Hickory Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar and Farmers’ Collection English-Style Sweet Cheddar.

Tillamook says that as a team of farmer-owners, it believes that healthier cows deliver better milk. Consequently, the Certified B Corporation ensures that all of its farmers meet strict third-party standards for animal care. “It’s a simple recipe that we’ve followed for over a century and it has never failed,” the brand explains.

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One more American cheesemaker stood out at the awards

The other American cheesemaker to gain outstanding recognition at the event was Jasper Hill Farm from Vermont, which was awarded a Super Gold medal and the title of “Best American Cheese” for its Bayley Hazen Blue. The farm also received gold medals for its Harbison cheese and Vault No. 5 cheddar, silver medals for four cheeses (the Cabot Clothbound, Caspian, Moses Sleeper, and Alpha Tolman) and an additional bronze medal for its Barnstorm Blue.

Bayley Hazen Blue is made with raw milk from the farm’s own herd of cows, as it has been since the dairy company was formed in 2003. While taking inspiration from traditional cave-aged, natural-rind cheeses, the Bayley Hazen Blue recipe is an American original with a fudge-like texture, notes of toasted nuttiness, subtle sweetness, and hints of anise. The farm points out that while the product does have the typical peppery character of a blue cheese, its profile is somewhat subdued, allowing the grassy, nutty flavors in the milk to rise to the top.

The competition was vast this year, marking the largest World Cheese Awards ever with 1,032 companies from 47 countries entering 4,786 cheeses. In all, 50 different American cheese producers earned at least one medal, awarded by judges representing 39 nations. With a total of 160 medals, the United States came in fourth overall behind the top three of Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.

While the cheeses are judged, their maker is kept anonymous, and the products are evaluated based on appearance, aroma, body, texture, and of course, flavor and mouthfeel. Considering its high number of entries from around the world and the attention paid to which products are recognized, it’s safe to say that any winners you try from this year’s annual World Cheese Awards will live up to your expectations.