This Cheese Was Named the Best in the U.S. - and It's All About That Cider Soak

Nothing says fall quite like the cozy combo of apple cider and cheese. Now, imagine those two marrying in a single, dreamy wheel — and you’ve got Vermont’s latest cheese superstar stealing the spotlight.

At the 2025 American Cheese Society Annual Judging & Competition, the cheese world got a serious shake-up. This event? Think of it as the Oscars of cheese — a grand stage where over 1,500 cheeses (and other dairy delights) from across the Americas battle it out for bragging rights, with judges scrutinizing every nuance from flavor to texture to appearance. The crème de la crème walk away with first, second, and third place honors in a slew of categories, then the absolute best of those top cheeses duke it out for the coveted Best of Show.

Photo From: Jasper Hill, Withersbrook Blue Cheese

Here’s the twist: For the second year running, a Canadian cheese took home the Best of Show crown. Quebec’s Fromagerie la Station wowed judges with Alfred le Fermier, an aged, raw-milk, farmstead cheese that clearly brought its A-game. Not to be outdone, Ontario’s Stonetown Artisan Cheese nabbed third place with its washed-rind, Alpine-style Grand Trunk.

But what about the U.S.? Vermont’s Jasper Hill Farm grabbed second place Best of Show with a standout cheese that’s got the cider crowd buzzing: Withersbrook Blue. This isn’t just any blue cheese — it’s raw-milk, soaked in Eden Ice Cider, then sealed during aging. The result? A blue cheese that delivers a fruity punch balanced with grassy, sweet cream notes. It’s like fall bottled up in cheese form.

What’s the story behind this seasonal superstar? “We're looking at creating place-based cheeses, and apples are obviously an important part of heritage and the landscape here. Eden Ice Cider specifically is just an awesome company that's right up the road from us, and their product is just pure Vermont,” explains Mateo Kehler, co-founder and CEO of Jasper Hill Farm.

Withersbrook Blue was born out of a clever solution — using up surplus milk and crafting a seasonal cheese that hits the shelves just in time for the holidays without hogging precious cellar space. It’s a natural evolution of Jasper Hill’s deep sense of place and terroir-driven cheese making.

And Jasper Hill didn’t stop there. They snagged eight Best in Category awards across their lineup, with three blue cheeses making the top 10 overall. Alongside Withersbrook Blue, their Bayley Hazen Blue (fresh off a win at the 2024 World Cheese Awards) and Barnstorm Blue — a square, washed-rind blue made with NYC’s Murray’s Cheese — also earned first place in their categories.

So yeah, Vermont’s cheesemakers are flexing serious dairy muscles, showing that American cheese culture isn’t just keeping pace — it’s evolving, innovating, and winning hearts (and palates) everywhere. And if you ask me, a cider-soaked blue is the ultimate autumn indulgence you didn’t know you needed.